


Fifteen Times

by 00trumpet



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-26
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-04-23 11:04:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4874326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00trumpet/pseuds/00trumpet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes fifteen times for them to get it right, but once they do? There's no doubt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five times they were mistaken for a couple.

_One_

They’re sitting in a bar playing some drinking game neither of them can remember the name of. All they know is they have to bounce the coin off the table and get it in the cup, if they succeed the other drinks.

_“I’m pretty sure it’s called Quarters. Isn’t it called Quarters?”_

_“How can it be called Quarters if we’re playing with euros, Lex?”_

_Alex scrunched her nose, that was a good point._

The bartender walked over to fill their glass as Alex chugged the drink down yet again. “Thish iz ssso unf-”  _hiccup_  “-fffair. Yooouuu are toooo goo-”  _hiccup_  “-ood.”

“I think that’ll be enough, sir, thank you,” Tobin said with a laugh as she pushed the empty glass towards the counter before the guy behind the counter had a chance to do anything.

“But I haven’t won yet!” Alex argued, still slurring through her words but a bit more articulate this time.

“Come on,” Tobin hooked her arms under Alex's and tried to pull her off of the bar stool.

“How do you want me to split the cost tonight?” The bartender asked, pulling up a small machine from behind the counter.

“All on my tab,” Tobin said as Alex’s head rested on the top of her shoulder. She silently thanked Alex for insisting on finding a bar that had English-speaking staff, her Portuguese was far too rusty to try and communicate while slightly buzzed, which was all she was, considering that Alex kind of sucked at their game; Quarters, or Euros, or whatever it was called.

“So how long have you two been together?” He asked as handed back Tobin’s card.

She knit her eyebrows together, “Who?” Alex nuzzled into neck and slid her arms around her waist. “Oh, uh, we aren’t.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he slid the receipt and a pen across the counter. “I hope you two have a great night,” he finished as Tobin scrawled her signature across the black line on the bottom.

“Thanks,” she nodded and hooked an arm under Alex so she could support her, wondering if Alex had heard any of it.

-

They arrived to the hotel and went up to their room.

Alex flopped on the bed and leaned up to lock eyes with Tobin,  “Tobin, you’re so…” She paused as if looking for the right word. After a few seconds she rested her neck and let her head fall to the bed. “Chill. You’re so chill.”

Tobin chuckled and threw a pair of sweatpants and one of her own tshirts at her, “Go to sleep.”

\------------

 

_Two_

They're in a restaurant that neither of them really knows, or cares, what the name is, but in all fairness, they just got to Portland. Their flight landed barely twenty-four hours before this and they're both still exhausted and trying to get over jet-lag, but they're together, so things are pretty okay.

"Can you order already?" Tobin let out a long sigh. "I'm hungry, Lex. We ate lunch at 10:30, how are you not starving?"

Alex rolled her eyes, "I am starving, which is why I want to make sure I pick the perfect meal."

Tobin slumped down in the booth and reached her feet across to mess with Alex's.

"Stop, Tobin," she said but she was giggling before she could help herself.

Their waiter walked up, "Are you two ladies ready to order?"

"Actually," Alex picked up and started to scan her menu again.

Tobin handed her menu over to the waiter, "I'll take the fajitas, she'll have the chicken caesar salad."

"I hadn't decided yet," Alex argued but Tobin just dropped her head to the table as the waiter left.

"I saw those on the menu and figured it was what you were deciding between, I assumed we could just share it so you could have both," Tobin shrugged as she lifted herself off the cold wood and took a sip of her tea. "Was I right?"

Alex blushed, slightly embarrassed at just how predictable she was. "Well, yeah."

Tobin smiled triumphantly, "Of course I was."

-

"You look tired," Alex pointed out as their food arrived.

"Hey, considering I've only slept about 8 hours for the past three days, I'd say I'm looking pretty good," Tobin gave Alex two of her three fajitas and took another drink of her tea. "Not all of us can look  _Alex Morgan perfect_  one hundred percent of the time."

Alex blushed again, but this time out of flattery. "I do not look perfect all the time, you of all people should know. You've seen me drunk, sweaty, half-asleep, and all of the above," she joked.

"I know, you still looked pretty perfect," Tobin shrugged and took a bite from Alex's salad, making sure to leave the croutons for her. It was half the reason she wanted it.

-

"Here you go," the waiter laid down both of their bills each in their own small leather bound check-holder.

Tobin reached over for it but Alex was already pulling it towards her.

"I've got it," she pulled her card out of the wallet in her purse and handed it over to the waiter.

"If I had known you two were dating I would've brought it all as one check," he joked as he took back the bills along with her card.

"We aren't-" Alex started laughing. "We're just friends."

Tobin nodded as she felt a bit of déjà-vu from the Algarve cup nearly a month ago.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he rushed off to bring back her receipt.

-

"That was weird, right?" Alex asked as they sat on the couch together, half watching the end of a movie. "Back at the restaurant?"

Tobin shrugged and rolled over away from the screen, still laying in Alex's lap.

"You alright?" Alex leaned down and began to stroke Tobin's hair.

"Just tired," she mumbled into the bottom of  Alex's shirt that was actually hers. It smelled like Alex though, so it might as well belong to her by now.

"Okay, do you wanna go to bed?"

"We don't have the bed set up," Tobin reminded.

"Well it's not my fault that you said all we needed was the tv and bean bags, at least I said we should put the couch up."

"You're so smart," Tobin agreed, mumbling into Alex's shirt again.

"Help me pull out the mattress," Alex shifted and started to stand as Tobin sat up next to her.

"Why?" Tobin reluctantly rose off the couch and started to pull away at cushions so they could get to the mattress.

"So we can sleep, duh." Alex tossed a few pillows and a blanket at Tobin as she flopped onto the newly formed bed from their pullout couch, stretched across it as far as possible. "Scoot over," she pushed on Tobin's arm and she rolled over slightly, allowing Alex to slide up against her side and pull the blanket over them. She rested her neck on Tobin's collarbone, "Goodnight, Toby," she mumbled into her neck.

"Goodnight, Lex," Tobin slid her arm protectively around Alex's waist and they fell asleep like that, the tv still playing in the background.

****  
  


\------------

_Three_

They're at the park, playing a 1v1 match, but the only competition going on is Tobin with herself trying to see if she can juggle the ball from one makeshift goal to the other and score.

"Lex! I'm doing it!" She shifted her weight and tossed the ball, catching it on the back of her neck. "Look! I'm doing it!"

Alex laughed and watched as Tobin popped it up and started juggling between her feet as she continued to hop towards the goal.

She volleyed it to a few feet in front of her, ran forward, and connected with her own pass, launching the ball in between the two small sticks they had stabbed to the ground. "Alex! I did it!" She ran forward and jumped into Alex's arms as if it were a real game.

"I never doubted you!" Alex rubbed her hand along Tobin's back as she pulled away. "I'm so proud of you," Alex pulled Tobin back in for another hug.

-

They weren't even really playing anymore, Alex was winning, 5-3, and Tobin was just sitting in the middle of the spot of grass they'd claimed.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked as she turned to find Tobin was no longer following her.

"Sitting," Tobin replied simply as she ripped up some grass from the ground.

"Well I can see that, I meant why?" Alex walked over and dropped to the ground next to Tobin, placing the ball in her lap.

"I was watching," she admitted, reaching down and drumming her fingers along the smudged soccer ball.

"Watching what?"

"Watching you play," Tobin shrugged because she knew it sounded stupid, but it was true. "You always look so happy, so beautiful."

Alex smiled and leaned her head against Tobin's shoulder.

-

It was getting dark, and neither of them really cared, but the maintenance guy for the park did.

"I'm sorry to do this," he walked up behind them and startled Alex who nearly jumped into Tobin's lap in a pathetic attempt at being protected. "But I'm gonna have to end your date, we're running the sprinklers soon."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tobin tried to stand up but had trouble to do so with Alex's arms still wrapped around her neck. "We're not dating though," she let out a small laugh as Alex finally disconnected herself and stood up.

"Oh, my apologies, you do have to leave though." He started to walk away and then turned back to add something, "Five minutes."

"That's so weird, what is it with Portland and thinking we're a couple?" Alex asked as she helped pull Tobin up from the ground.

Tobin just shrugged, "I don't know, Lex." She decided not to mention the bar in Portugal. "It's weird."

\------------

_Four_

They're on the beach in the Bahamas for a small vacation.

"How long do we have till our friendly in France?"

Tobin shrugged, "I think we fly out of here in a week." She scanned the nearly empty shoreline. "Please surf with me, Lex," Tobin whined as she picked up her surfboard.

"Tobin, it's mid-December. You're insane," Alex picked up her book and leaned back in her chair, digging her toes into the sand.

"But we came here because you wanted somewhere warm," Tobin started to pout and sat on her towel spread out over the sand. "This isn't fair," she laid back dramatically across the towel.

Alex reached out and tapped Tobin with her foot, "You can go surf, y'know."

"But maybe I don't wanna go without you," Tobin flipped over so her back was turned to Alex.

Alex rolled her eyes and got up out of her chair, picking up a water bottle out of the cooler. "Tobinnn," she drew the name out in a sing-song voice. "Tobin, look at me," she poked Tobin's side with her foot again.

Tobin tried to contain a giggle but couldn't really help herself.

"Do you really want me to get in the water? Because I will on one condition."

Tobin flipped around and was met with Alex standing over her as she dumped ice cold water down her body.

"That was my condition!" She squealed, picking up her board and running towards the water as fast the wind resistance from her surfboard would allow.

Tobin shook her head and picked up her own board, "Wait, Lex! Wait for me!"

-

Alex picked up the soccer ball in between the beach chairs she bought for them, "Why couldn't we be professional volleyball players? That's probably a lot more fun to play on the beach."

"We could still play volleyball."

"I mean, I guess we could, but I actually know how to play soccer."

Tobin opened one eye and raised her sunglasses, "Do you not know how to play volleyball?"

"Do you?"

"Well, yeah, I took a high school gym class."

Alex rolled her eyes, "So what if I don't know how to play?"

"Wait, Alex, really?" Tobin started laughing uncontrollably. "You don't know how to play volleyball? You're from California!"

Alex squinted at Tobin, "So? Don't accuse me of your stereotypes."

"Oh come on, you don't know how to play volleyball? You're kidding, right?"

"Will you just teach me how to play dammit?"

Tobin rolled her eyes and picked up the soccer ball that had found its way to her lap. "Alright, but a soccer ball's a lot harder than a volleyball, just so you know, okay?"

"Is it gonna hurt me?"

"You'll be okay."

-

Tobin tossed up a perfect set and Alex jumped just high enough to spike it over the net, "I did it! Look Tobs, we won!" She yelled as she jumped into Tobin's arms.

Tobin smiled wide as she held Alex. She didn't really care about the win, but Alex sure did. And she cared about Alex. Also if she was being completely honest, the looks of defeat from the three guys on the other side of the net weren't too hard to smile at.

One of the guys ducked under the net and held out his hand to Tobin, "Good game! Thanks for letting us play with you."

"Thanks for letting us use a real volleyball!" Alex laughed as she slid out of Tobin's arms and her feet hit the sand.

"Yeah, this one's fragile," Tobin jutted her thumb at Alex with a chuckle.

"Am not!" Alex argued, scrunching her nose.

Tobin just shrugged with another laugh.

The friend that hadn't gone to retrieve the ball came over to their side as well, "How long have you two been dating?"

Alex blushed as she realized her arm was around Tobin's waist and pulled away, "We aren't," she laughed because maybe it  _wasn't_  a Portland thing. "We aren't together."

"Oh, my bad," he looked around as his friend ran up with the ball.

"Rematch?" He asked as he tossed it over to them.

"You're on," Alex caught the ball and smiled a devilish grin as she got ready to serve.

-

Alex lazily brushed her hands through Tobin's hair as they pretended to watch a movie in a language they didn't recognize. It was only midnight, but they were both exhausted from their day at the beach.

"Do you think it's weird?" Alex asked as she turned down the television.

"What's weird?" Tobin rolled over so they were face to face.

Alex pulled her hand away as Tobin turned to look up at her, "People keep thinking we're a couple, it's odd, right?"

"Does it bother you?" Tobin sat up, worried what Alex thought of it.

Alex pulled Tobin back down into her lap, "No, no, of course not." She laughed quietly as she came up with a joke, "It's an honor to be mistaken as your girlfriend, Miss Tobin Heath."

"As it is to be yours, Miss Alex Heath," Tobin joked and they both broke into a fit of laughter.

\-----------

 

_Five_

They spend Christmas together that year, just the two of them. They lied to their families, something about not enough time to get there and back between their French and Germany friendlies. But really, they just wanted a quiet holiday spent together.

"Tobin?"

Tobin walked into the bedroom, toothbrush in her mouth, "Yeah?"

"Guess what?"

She quirked an eyebrow and held up a finger as she stepped back into the bathroom. She wiped at the water on her mouth as she reentered, "What, Lex?"

Alex bounced off the bed and pulled Tobin over, "It's Christmas!"

Tobin glanced over to the hotel-provided clock sitting on the bedside table flashing  _12:03._  She smiled wide, "It is!"

Alex squeezed at Tobin's wrists before pulling her in for a hug, "Merry Christmas, Tobin." She rested her head on Tobin's chest as she tightened her arms around her waistline.

"Merry Christmas, Lex," Tobin rested her cheek against Alex's forehead and nearly laughed because Alex was definitely taller than her but for some reason she insisted in snuggling against Tobin whether it was on her chest, in her neck, under her arm, or anywhere else.

Alex pulled away from the hug, "Are you ready for your gift?"

Tobin laughed, "You know you didn't have to get me anything."

Alex shrugged, "But I did."

"But you didn't have to."

"I wanted to."

Tobin sighed and walked over to Alex who was already on the other side of the room digging through one of her bags.

"Okay, here it is," Alex pulled out a small box and handed it to Tobin. "Open it."

Tobin did as she was told and ripped through the paper so she could get to the box, "Uh, Lex?" She pulled out a golden lock and held it out to Alex, "What's this for?"

"Y'know locks of love?"

"Well, I did live here for six months," she laughed and turned the shiny metal over in her hands.

"I figured we could do that, but like, friends or something," Alex closed Tobin's hands between her own. "Yeah?"

Tobin smiled and looked up at Alex, "Yeah." Her smile widened as she looked into Alex's eyes, "Yeah, I'd really like that."

Alex smiled back as she took the lock from Tobin. "Look, I got an A.M. and T.H. engraved here," she pointed to the lock as she showed Tobin.

Tobin leaned forward a bit and sure enough there was  _A.M.+ T.H._  engraved in what looked like nothing but Alex's own handwriting.

"I wrote it for the guy so it could be in my handwriting," Alex said as if she'd been reading Tobin's mind.

Tobin nodded, "It's beautiful. When did you wanna go put it up?"

"Tomorrow I guess," she yawned. "It's getting a little late, I just couldn't wait to give it to you."

Tobin smiled and took Alex's hand, pulling her to the bed, "Well let's go to sleep then."

"What about my gift?" Alex teased.

"You can open it in the morning, let's just go to sleep," Tobin repositioned herself so Alex could be more comfortable, pushed up against her chest, as always.

-

"Wake up, it's Christmas!" Alex pushed on Tobin again, trying to pry her away from the pillow.

"It was Christmas last night, too." Tobin groaned and rolled so her back was facing Alex, "and it'll be Christmas next year."

"But it's also Christmas _right now_ , and we need to go do stuff like put our lock up on the bridge and spend the day together and also I have a present to open," Alex reminded as she pulled Tobin back over to her. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Tobin's forehead, "Wake up Tobin, we have a long day!"

"But why, Lex?" She pulled the pillow over her head and began to muffle into it, "Let's just sleep."

Alex tossed the pillow to the other side of the room and pulled the blanket off of Tobin, "Get out of bed you lazy bum."

Tobin sighed because now the only thing thing protecting her from the chill of the hotel room was a loose tank top and a pair of boxers. "Why's it so cold in here?"

"Because it's winter, Tobin. Winter, like December, like Christmas," Alex walked to the other side of the room where their suitcases were. "What do you want to wear?"

Tobin dragged herself off the bed and began to walk towards Alex, "Depends on your plans for the day I suppose."

Alex knit her eyebrows together, "I hadn't gotten that far."

Tobin laughed and leaned down next to Alex, "Well it's a good thing I have." She elbowed Alex in the ribs playfully, "You ready to experience Paris?"

"With you showing me around? Of course," Alex giggled as she stood up from the suitcase.

"Is that all I am to you? An escort?" Tobin mocked offense as she stood up and began to pull on a pair of jeans.

"A beloved escort," Alex stepped forward and placed her arm on Tobin's bicep. "When do we leave?"

Tobin looked to the clock as it flashed  _6:27_. "Why did you wake me up so early?"

"So we could get a start on the day, obviously," picked up a red and black flannel out of Tobin's suitcase, "Can I wear this? It's gonna be cold."

"But Lex, that's my warmest shirt!"

"Yeah I know, that's why I wanna wear it."

Tobin rolled her eyes, "It's not my fault you didn't pack accordingly, Europe isn't the Bahamas."

"Well maybe you shouldn't have taken me to the Bahamas before Europe! This is your fault," Alex laughed, determined to wear the shirt.

Tobin sighed, "You wanted to go somewhere warm, not my fault." She picked up a blue and red flannel from her suitcase, "How about this one?"

"Yeah, it looks great-- on  _you_ ," Alex pushed the shirt back towards Tobin and stepped away. "I'm gonna take a shower!" She sped to the bathroom, picking up a black tank top on the way.

-

"I still can't believe you took my shirt," Tobin shut the door to their hotel room as Alex walked to the elevator.

"But you want me to be warm, right? You know I get cold easier than you," Alex pulled Tobin into a hug as she entered the elevator.

"You're still gonna get cold, Lex, you know that," Tobin rolled her eyes as a ding went off signaling that they reached their floor.

"Well yeah, but not as cold," Alex released the hug as they stepped off the elevator. "You'll keep me warm, right?"

Tobin nearly laughed, "You already have my warmest shirt!"

They were both laughing as they left the lobby and entered what seemed like a winter wonderland to Alex.

"There's snow! Look at the snow!" Alex rushed over to one of the bushes on the side of the sidewalk, sparkling with the remnants of what had fallen overnight.

"That's not snow," Tobin laughed as she followed over to where Alex was entranced by a light dusting that was already melting. "That's slush."

Alex shook her head, "No, this is snow." She reached out to touch it, "It's cold!"

"Well, duh, what did you think?" Tobin laughed as Alex walked back over to her. "Ready for the day?"

Alex nodded and grabbed Tobin's hand, pulling her forward as if she knew where they were going. She hesitated and stopped at a turn, "Where to?"

Tobin shrugged, "Where do you wanna go?"

Alex looked around the area, "Where's the Eiffel Tower?"

Tobin laughed and pulled Alex down the turn so she could lead, "This way, Madame."

"Ooh, don't you know French? Talk French to me Tobin," Alex laughed as she looked around, trying to take everything in.

"Je suis heureuse que nous passons Noël ensemble. Je t'aime, Lex."

"What does that mean?" Alex interlocked her fingers with Tobin's and began to swing their arms as they followed the cobblestone path.

"I said I'm really glad we got to spend Christmas together, and I love you," Tobin smiled at Alex who looked in awe at the fast approaching Eiffel Tower in front of them.

"Is that it? Like, really it?" Alex quickened her pace. "The Eiffel Tower, is that it Tobs?"

Tobin laughed at Alex's eagerness, "Yep, that's it. Do you wanna go to the top?"

"Isn't it gonna be super busy?"

"It's Christmas Day, so, probably not," Tobin adjusted the small gym bag on her back and pulled it around so she could get to something. "Also, I already bought our tickets so you should probably say yes."

Alex laughed and took her ticket from Tobin, "Can we climb it?"

"Well, they aren't going to  _make us_  take the elevator," Tobin laughed as she and Alex continued to walk towards the doors.

Alex's jaw dropped as they reached the tower, realizing just how tall it was. "We don't have to take the steps."

"Oh come on, there's only seventeen hundred of them."

-

Alex peered over the railing at the view of the city, “It’s incredible.” She squeezed Tobin’s hand, “Thank you for bringing me here.”

Tobin smiled and turned towards Alex, “Of course, the day isn’t over yet though. Are you ready to go?” She glanced down at her watch, “I have lunch reservations for us at 11:45, so in about three hours.

Alex spent a few seconds taking in the view before responding, “Take a picture with me?”

Tobin smiled, “Of course.” She walked over to Alex who put her arm around Tobin’s waist.

Just as Alex went to snap the picture, she turned and kissed Tobin’s cheek, then took another photo of the two of them smiling.

Tobin turned to her with a questioning glance, “Get enough pictures?”

Alex shrugged, “Can you stand right here?" She pulled Tobin over to a spot with better lighting. “Now just look over the view,” Alex took a few pictures from different angles.”Okay, I’m done now.”

Tobin stepped towards Alex and put an arm around her shoulders, “Ready for our next stop?”

Alex leaned into Tobin’s arm, “Of course.”

-

"Are we actually stopping somewhere or are we just gonna keep walking?"

Tobin laughed as they walked through the park with Alex wrapped around her arm, "Just my company isn't good enough for you?"

"Well of course it is, but your company while doing something in Paris would be even better," Alex walked them over to a fountain and sat on the edge.

"What are you doing?" Tobin asked, pulling on Alex's arm. "I'm actually taking you somewhere, this was just the scenic route."

Alex got up and hooked her arm around Tobin's waist, "Where to?"

Tobin pulled Alex down a road off to the road and gestured in front of them to a large sign, "Here."

"I can't read that, it's in French."

"It isn't that hard to figure out."

"Just tell me, Tobs."

"Ice skating," Tobin smiled at Alex whose expression hadn't changed. "I mean, unless you don't want to."

"No, no," a smile grew on Alex's face. "I would love to."

-

"You better be careful on your ankle," Tobin warned as they strapped on the skates.

Alex laughed, "I will! How hard can ice skating be anyway?"

-

"So do you have an answer for yourself?" Tobin teased.

"Hard, very hard," Alex pulled off the skate on her left foot and began to rub her ankle.

"You're okay though, right?" Tobin put a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Do we need to ice it? We could go back to the hotel and elevate it."

Alex smiled and turned towards Tobin, "I'll be okay, we don't need to go the hotel."

"Are you sure?"

"I promise."

-

"So is this where we're going for lunch?"

Tobin nodded before turning to the person leading them to their table, "L'addition pour un, s'il vous plaît."

He nodded before rushing off the kitchen.

She turned to Alex and responded sarcastically, "No, we're just gonna hang out here in this restaurant for a little while."

-

The waiter brought them their check, all as one, and handed it to Tobin.

Alex raised an eyebrow to Tobin who shrugged.

"Guess they just assumed," Tobin decided not to tell her that she'd asked the waiter to bring the check together.

-

“So where are you taking me to now?” Alex limped over the worn path with her still-sore ankle.

“Do you need us to go back to the hotel? We could, I don’t want you to get injured--”

“Tobin, I’m fine,” Alex placed her hands on Tobin’s shoulders and pulled them to a stop. “I promise,” she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Tobin’s cheek. “Where to next?”

Tobin gave Alex one last look of worry before deciding to trust her, “We’re going to the museum, then dinner.”

“What museum, the Louvre?” Alex asked excitedly.

“Not the Louvre,” Tobin laughed at the view of Alex trying to jump up and down and put as little weight on her foot as possible. “It’s closed on Christmas day, you’ll like this place though.”

“It can't be too bad with you there.”

-

“I just ordered for you, I hope that’s alright.”

Alex sat down opposite of Tobin in the booth, “Of course. What did you get me?’

Tobin shrugged, “I just kind of pointed and said ‘oui’ when she asked if I was sure.”

Alex laughed, “I thought you knew French?”

“Hardly, I just remembered what I needed to and hung out with Laure if I had to leave the apartment,” she smiled at the memory. “It was nice seeing her for the friendly, too bad she left for the holidays.”

Alex pressed her lips together and nodded, “Yeah, too bad.” She cursed herself for feeling jealous without any reason.

-

“Here it is,” Tobin led Alex onto the bridge as the moonlight glistened in the water.

“Mind if I do the honors?” Alex pulled the lock and keys out of her purse.

“By all means,” Tobin gestured forward and Alex brought the lock to her lips.

She placed a soft kiss across their initials, “Forever.” She locked it onto the wall and turned to Tobin to give her a hug, “You’ll always be my best friend.”

“Always, Lex,” Tobin agreed.

-

“It’s been a long day,” Alex groaned as she fell onto their shared hotel bed.

“Indeed, not over yet though,” Tobin smiled as she pulled a wrapped box out of her bag. “Here’s your present,” she tossed it over to Alex.

Alex sat up and ripped through the paper with a new-found energy. “Tobin, I love it!” She pulled out two necklaces, each half of a soccer ball shaped into a heart; one with the word ‘love’ on it and the other ‘you’.

“I’m glad,” Tobin walked over and sat on the bed next to Alex. “Which one do you want?”

Alex looked over the two pendants and handed over the one with the word ‘love’ on it, “Will you put this on me?”

“Of course,” Tobin looped it around her arm around Alex’s neck as she pulled her hair way. She fastened the clip, “So you really like it?”

“I love it,” Alex turned so they were facing each other. “Let me put yours on,” she hooked it through and patted Tobin’s shoulder when she was done. “What time is checkout tomorrow?”

“I got us late checkout, so, noon I think,” Tobin looked at her watch and sighed as she read the time,  _1:30am_. “Wow, it’s late.”

Alex nodded as she let out a yawn, “It is, let’s go to sleep, yeah?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Tobin laid down on the bed as Alex got up from it. “Where are you going?”

“I was gonna take a shower so you could take one in the morning before we leave,” Alex grabbed some clothes from the top of the dresser which included a shirt that probably belonged to Tobin. “Just figured that’d be smarter, y’know?

-

Tobin woke back up as Alex joined her on the bed. “Lex?” She mumbled into the darkness.

"Shh, I’m right here Tobs, goodnight,” Alex laid a hand on Tobin’s shoulder as she slid underneath the blanket.

“Merry Christmas,” she whispered as Alex buried her cold nose into Tobin’s neck.

“Merry Christmas, Tobs.”

-

“If you don’t hurry up we’ll be late for _late_  checkout. What are you looking for, anyway?” Tobin stood in the doorway with her duffelbag over her shoulder and a small gym bag on her back.

“I can’t find my phone!” Alex continued to tear through the blankets piled in the corner of the room.

“Lex,” Tobin walked over and picked up Alex’s laptop bag. “I already put it in here, I told you that.”

“Oh, right, okay, let’s go!” Alex picked up her things and headed toward the lobby.

“We’re here to check out,” Tobin handed their room cards over to the concierge.

He nodded and passed across a small envelope with the words, _Mrs. and Mrs. Tobin Heath_ written on it.

Tobin nearly laughed as she picked it up and handed over her card. “Merci,” she said as she took it back and walked over to meet Alex by the door. She gave Alex the envelope, “Read that.”

Alex flipped it over and read the front. “But we’re not--” she started laughing before she could say anything else.

“I know,” Tobin joined in the laughter as Alex led them towards the taxi she’d called. “I know we aren’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This'll be split into three parts, "five times..." "five times…" "five times…" and then there'll be an epilogue. I hope you liked it! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five times Tobin began to notice what everyone else saw.

_One_

They're at the gym, and it's not just the two of them, and that kind of bothers Tobin.

Tobin got off of the treadmill as her cool down ended and walked across the room to Alex, "Did you need more water?"

Alex paused her music as she slowed on her elliptical machine, "What Tobs?"

"I'm running to the lockers, do you want more water?"

"Oh, yeah sure," she pulled one of her earbuds out so she could direct more attention to her friend. "My wallet's in the locker, can you buy a cold bottle for me?"

Tobin shrugged, "I got it Lex."

She left for the lockers and began to think about a little bit of everything. Soccer, friends, dinner, but mostly Alex. She realized she was pretty much always thinking about Alex.

-

"Are you ready to go soon? I think I need some sleep," Alex stepped off of her machine as Tobin walked up with two new water bottles.

"Sounds good, wanna go out for dinner?" She handed over the water as Alex met up with her and they turned back to get their stuff.

"Like, right now?"

Tobin laughed, "I think we could stop at the apartment for a shower."

-

Alex headed out to the car as Tobin hung back in the locker room to pack up a few last things.

As she left, she was stopped by some guy she didn't recognize, "Oh, wait, ma'am?"

Tobin struggled to not laugh at him for the formality, "Yeah?"

"I think your girlfriend left this," he held out an iPhone with a pink case and a swirly A written on the back of it.

She hesitated for a moment, then reached out for it as she recognized her crude scribble of _\+ T_ in small writing on it underneath the A. Alex had insisted on not washing it off after Tobin wrote it jokingly soon after buying her the phone case. "She's not--," she clicked it on to further confirm it was Alex's and was met with the selfie taken together at the top of the Eiffel Tower with Alex kissing her cheek. "Uh, thanks," Tobin smiled and tried to hide how much she liked the ring the word girlfriend had to it.

"No problem," the young guy nodded and smiled as he started to back away when something clicked. "Wait, don't you, uh, play something?"

Tobin quirked an eyebrow in confusion then realized what he was getting at. She decided that if she hadn't corrected the guy for calling Alex her girlfriend, then she probably shouldn't be walking around saying the words 'star soccer player' or 'Alex Morgan' a whole lot. "Tennis is pretty fun I guess," she offered sarcastically.

"Oh, my bad," he nodded a bit before turning to walk away.

-

"Hey, have you seen my phone?"

Tobin nodded and handed it over to her as she hopped into the passenger seat. "Yeah, some guy found it on your machine." She decided to leave out the girlfriend part.

Alex smiled as she took it and rubbed her thumb over Tobin's bad handwriting, "Thanks, Tobs. Where to?"

Tobin dramatically pulled on her shirt and waved it out a bit, "Home, I need a shower."

Alex laughed at the sight of Tobin attempting to get her previously clean shirt to not stick to her sweat.

Tobin looked over, jokingly offended, and tried not to notice the sparkle in Alex's eyes. "Can you just drive us home?"

Alex laughed and Tobin tried to convince herself it wasn't the most perfect sound in the world.

It didn't work.

She wondered if maybe people weren't so wrong when they thought the two together. She cursed herself for the thought.

-

"Where did you wanna go for dinner?" Alex moved her hair as Tobin put helped her with the necklace she'd gotten at Christmas.

"Anywhere I guess," she shrugged and started to pull on a hoodie.

"I'm gonna guess no five-star restaurants then?"

"We could, but fair warning, I'm going in this," Tobin gestured up and down her body at the Nike sweatshirt and dark skinny jeans.

"Well what should I wear?"

"What do you want to wear?"

"What do you want me to wear?"

Tobin thought for a moment but realized she couldn't come up with anything she liked better than just Alex. "Something casual, don't go all fancy on me now."

Alex smiled and walked into her room before coming back in a pair of jeans and one of Tobin's sweatshirts. "How's this?"

Tobin smiled, "Perfect."

-

"What do you want to order?"

Tobin nearly laughed, "Depends, what are you trying to decide between?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Alex feigned defense as she opened her menu back up.

Tobin smiled at the way Alex's eyes lit up at her joke, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom, just order whatever."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

-

Alex leaned over the side of the bridge, watching as the moonlight reflected off of the water. "It's beautiful, Tobs." She looked over and was met by the midfielder's eyes locked on her own. She blushed slightly and hoped it was too dark to be noticed.

Tobin tried to say something, but it got caught in her throat. Her eyes darted away from Alex's and to the water. "Yeah, it is," she muttered.

Alex assumed she had done something and felt bad, "What's wrong?" She took a step closer and placed her hand on Tobin's arm.

Tobin found her voice as she turned to Alex, "Nothing, Lex. You're beautiful too."

Alex's blush rose and Tobin noticed it this time. She took a small step away from Tobin but then leaned back in. It suddenly hit her just how tired she was and let her head drop to Tobin's shoulder as she half went in for a hug. "Thanks, Tobs. You're the best."

Tobin smiled and wrapped her arm around Alex, "No problem. It's late though, let's get home."

-

Tobin opted to drive them to the apartment and Alex was soon asleep in the passenger seat, her fingers loosely intertwined with Tobin's and their arms stretched out between them.

Tobin tried not to think about how much they looked like a couple.

She looked over at Alex and felt her heart melt a little. Even half asleep in the car, Alex still looked beautiful.

\------------

_Two_

They're at the first practice of the season, and the new girl won't stop giving her weird looks.

"Betos!" Tobin called her friend over to them after another water break was called.

"Yeah?" She jogged over with a smile on the face, despite the harsh environment of what would be deciding starting positions for the season.

"Who's the new chick?" Tobin gestured over to a small group of girls that weren't talking to anyone.

"Kleiner, Alyssa Kleiner," she tilted her head to the side trying to think of something else to say about the girl. "I think she went to SCU, but I can't be sure."

"Santa Clara?" Tobin glanced back over just as Alyssa averted her eyes. "She won't stop staring at me."

"Really? That's odd," Michelle adjusted her gloves and looked from Tobin to Alex who was standing off to the side talking to some other teammates. "Wait, you? Or you and Alex?" She tried to hide the smirk forming on her face.

"What do you mean?" Tobin turned to look at Alex and tried to ignore the fact that even if their backs were turned towards each other they were practically touching. If she let her arm fall they could be holding hands. "Oh."

"Yeah," Michelle let out a light laugh as their coach blew a whistle, signaling the end of the water break. "Watch yourself, Tobs," she glanced at Alex before meeting Tobin's eyes. "Don't get yourself hurt."

Tobin scoffed, "This is _Alex_ , I'm not gonna get hurt. She's my best friend."

-

As practice ended, Alex ran to tackle Tobin on their way off the field.

"Lex!" Tobin squirted her with the water bottle she had as she laughed. "Get off!"

Alex slid off of her back and wiped at the sweat and water on her forehead, then wiped it on Tobin's cheek with another laugh.

Tobin groaned, "You're disgusting." She made some fake gagging noises as they entered the locker rooms.

"I'm gonna go shower," she pulled her cleats off and handed them to Tobin. "Can you take these for me?"

"On one condition," Tobin took the cleats out of Alex's hands. "Wipe off my cheek."

Alex smiled and leaned forward, using her jersey to wipe away the sweat and kissing Tobin's cheek, "Better?"

"Loads," she looked around the locker room as Alex left and noticed anyone who wasn't already friend with them was either staring or awkwardly avoiding eye contact. She wondered if maybe she and Alex were a little not-so friends. She walked over to her locker cubby next to Michelle, "Was that weird?" She asked in a voice just above a whisper.

"Yes," she responded plainly.

"Really?" She set Alex's cleats down next to her own.

"Yeah, do you like her?"

Tobin looked up and realized she wasn't quite sure how to answer. "We're best friends," she finally muttered.

"Well, yeah, I knew that much," she tossed a few things in her bag and pulled out some clean clothes. "Just be honest with yourself, Tobs." She started towards the showers then stopped and turned back around to add something, "And don't get hurt."

Tobin rolled her eyes, "I won't get hurt."

-

**Betos : so do u like her??**

**Tobs : the new chick?**

**Betos : no, dumbass**

**Betos : alex**

**Tobs : oh**

**Tobs : um**

**Tobs : idk**

**Betos : how do u not know?**

**Tobs : idk**

**Betos : u know what i meant when i said don't get hurt at practice, heath**

**Tobs : yeah**

**Betos : yeah?**

**Tobs : yeah**

**Betos : can u meet me for dinner tonight?**

**Tobs : social call?**

**Betos : no, intervention**

**Tobs : i guess**

**Tobs : can i bring alex?**

**Betos : do u know what an intervention is**

**Tobs : duh.**

**Betos : i'll stop by your place at 8**

**Tobs : what do i tell alex?**

**Betos : that you're hanging w a friend?**

**Tobs : oh right**

**Tobs : ok**

-

Michelle reached over to turn down the radio.

"So where are we going?" Tobin asked before she could say anything.

"You're avoiding the reason I asked you to dinner."

"You said I'm hanging with a friend," Tobin pointed out.

Michelle sighed, "No, I told you to tell _Alex_ you're hanging with a friend. I told _you_ this was an intervention."

"Oh yeah," she fiddled with a loose string on her shirt. "For what?"

"You're dense."

"I've been told."

"Is Alex dating someone?"

"Why, are you interested?"

She sighed again, "Are you serious?"

"I mean, are you?"

"I'm not interested in dating Alex, Tobin."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Jesus fucking Christ," she ran a hand through her hair.

"Hey," Tobin interjected. "Don't say that."

"My bad," she apologized and turned towards Tobin as they approached a red light. "Do you like Alex?"

"Is that what this is about?"

"Duh."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Anytime now, Tobs."

"I think. Maybe. I don't know."

"Does Alex like you?"

"She's probably not even gay."

"Don't be too sure," she winked as if she knew something.

Tobin dropped her jaw, "What does that mean?"

"Let's just say Alex liked to have fun in college," she shrugged with a laugh as Tobin tried to comprehend what she was alluding to.

"So wait, Alex likes girls?"

"She has been known to enjoy their company in the past."

"What do you mean? Alex is about as straight as a ruler."

"Maybe, but only if you mean one of those bendy rulers."

Tobin laughed at that, "Alex isn't straight?"

"Not to my knowledge," she drummed her fingers along the steering wheel as Tobin lost herself in thought in the passenger seat. She tried to bring Tobin back to reality, "Is Alex with anyone?"

"I don't think so."

"I'm gonna ask you again, do you like her?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

Michelle sighed, "Don't get hurt, Tobs."

"I won't get hurt. Thanks, though."

"Of course. Dinner now?"

"Are you done lecturing me?"

"It was less lecture and more revelation, but sure."

Tobin smiled as they pulled into a parking lot, "Thanks, really. For caring, I mean." She struggled to come up with something that could translate her gratitude, "No one on the national team knows and Alex is my best friend, not exactly like she'd discuss this with me."

Michelle laughed and turned to place a hand on Tobin's shoulder, "Anytime, man. Now let's go eat, I'm starving."

\------------

_Three_

They're at the zoo, and there's other people, but with the atmosphere they're surrounded in, it might as well be just the two of them.

Alex had been entranced by penguins for nearly twenty minutes and Tobin had been admiring as Alex stared in awe.

Alex turned towards Tobin and smiled warmly as they made eye contact, "Thanks for taking me here." She reached out and put her hand in Tobin's, "You're so sweet."

Tobin shrugged, "You mentioned you like penguins the other day, so I thought it'd be pretty cool to stop by here before we leave for our camp with the national team."

She squeezed Tobin's hand and smiled again, "What do you wanna go see next?"

"Whatever you want, Lex," she pulled them over to a sign mapping out the exhibits. "Pick something."

Alex scanned the map and eventually pointed to the cheetah exhibit, "What about here?"

"That's on the other side of the park!"

"You said _whatever_ I want," Alex reminded. She leaned over to kiss Tobin's cheek, "Can we go to the Cafe after that? Then we can go home," she yawned and rested her head on Tobin's shoulder.

"Yeah, sure, Lex," she kissed the top of Alex's head. "Let's go see the cheetahs."

-

"They were so pretty!" Alex pulled them into the cafe as she went on about the animals they'd seen.

"Yeah, Lex," Tobin nodded in agreement and tried not to think about how Alex was holding her hand, or how close they stood next to each other, or the way Alex looked oh-so beautiful while admiring the different parts of nature. "Did you want something?"

"I'll get it, Tobs," she led them to a booth before releasing Tobin's hand. "What do you want?"

Tobin shrugged as she sat down, "Just get me a coffee."

Alex came back a few minutes later with her receipt and sat across from Tobin, "Did you wanna go out after this?" Alex was nearly buzzing with some sort of newfound energy, and she hadn't even had any coffee yet.

"Thought you were tired?" Tobin picked up a napkin from a holder sitting on the table.

"I don't wanna go home anymore," Alex focused on Tobin's hands as she twisted and folded the napkin. "What are you doing?"

Tobin tightened one last roll and folded a piece towards the top. "Here," She held out an origami rose she'd made out of the napkin. "I thought you might like this before we leave Rose City tomorrow."

Alex smiled and took it from her, "Thank you." She pretended to smell it before setting it on the table, "I love it."

Tobin offered a goofy grin, "Good, I'm glad."

Someone walked up with a platter, handing a drink to both of them and setting down a piece of apple pie and two forks in between them before walking away.

"I got a piece of pie for us to share," Alex stabbed her fork into it and sectioned off a piece.

Tobin nodded and tried to ignore the fact that the only other people in this cafe sharing something were a man and a woman who had also kissed on the mouth and were clearly dating. She tried to get some of the pie and awkwardly clinked forks with Alex.

"I'm sorry," Alex giggled as she pulled her fork away to let Tobin eat.

"It's okay, Lex," she scooped some pie into her fork and held it out for Alex to take a bite. "Here," she fed it to Alex and tried to ignore the way her eyes sparkled or how perfect her smile was.

She tried to not fall in love with Alex.

She didn't do very well.

\------------

_Four_

They're on a plane, and it's not just the two of them, but it's a small flight that's pretty empty, so it's okay.

"How much longer till we land?" Alex's head leaned to the side as her eyes were drooping closed.

"Well considering it's only been about twenty minutes, probably a few more hours. Are you a little tired?" Tobin let out a small laugh. Of course she was tired, she'd insisted on going out for dinner despite Tobin's warnings and hadn't fallen asleep till nearly midnight.

"Well maybe if you hadn't booked our flight for four thirty in the _fucking_ morning, I would be fine," Alex argued, trying to hide a smile because it really _was_ her fault.

"I didn't book the flight! US Soccer took care of that, I just signed the paper," she raised her hands in innocence.

"You couldn't have asked them for a later flight?"

"I wanted to make sure we got a chance to see everyone before jet lag caught up with us."

"So you thought waking up earlier would help that?"

"Well, yeah. How would waking up earlier not help?"

"Waking up earlier doesn't help _anything_."

 

-

 

A flight attendant rolled by with her cart for drinks and stopped next to Tobin.

"Is she, uh," she looked at a loss for words trying to politely ask if the passenger drooling on Tobin's shoulder needed to moved.

"Oh, she's fine, she's with me," Tobin smiled as Alex adjusted herself and rested her forehead against Tobin's neck.

"Oh, okay," she busied herself for a moment then turned back to Tobin. "Did you want something?"

"Just some water is fine," she smiled again as she took her cup.

"Would your, um-- would your girlfriend like anything?"

"Oh, she's--" Tobin craned her neck to glance at Alex and realized just how close they were. Alex's forehead against her neck, using her shoulder as a pillow. One hand hooked under Tobin's arm, the other on Tobin's stomach. "Yeah, she'll want water too."

 

-

 

"Are we there yet?" Alex groaned as she leaned up off of Tobin and wiped at her eyes.

"I don't know how the hell you were comfortable, but I had a hell of a time reading my book," she joked.

Alex smiled and reached out for a cup of water on Tobin's tray, "Is this yours? Can I have some?" She took a drink before Tobin answered.

"It's actually yours, I got it for you."

"Aw, thanks Tobs," she finished off the water and set the cup back on the tray before leaning into Tobin's arm. "What're you reading?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted, turning the book over in her hands. "I just picked it up the other day, but it was hard to focus while you were snoring in my ear."

"I wasn't snoring in your ear," Alex pouted. "I don't snore."

"Sure, Lex," Tobin laughed as she saw the flight attendant wink at them.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"No, I'm laughing at our flight attendant," she gestured to the front of the plane. "She just winked at us, I wonder why."

Alex started to trace patterns on Tobin's forearm, "I don't know."

Tobin remembered that she hadn't corrected the flight attendant when she called Alex her girlfriend and suddenly realized just how much like a couple they looked. She almost panicked, then let herself relax into Alex's touch. "Yeah, it's weird."

"Maybe she thinks we're a couple," Alex teased.

Tobin froze, "Ya think?"

Alex kept tracing the patterns up and down her arm, over her hand, "Yeah, maybe."

Tobin nodded in agreement, "Maybe."

She wondered if maybe the flight attendant wasn't so wrong. Maybe.

\------------

_Five_

"We're here, Lex, get up," Tobin shifted her arm in an attempt to wake the girl attached to her side.

Alex mumbled something unintelligible to her shoulder and rolled slightly to the side, "Why?"

"We're here, flight's over," Tobin clicked her seatbelt as the light flashed off and she began to stretch.

"Here? Like, D.C. here?"

"Yeah, that kind," she laughed as she reached a hand down and helped Alex to her feet. "Ready to go--" she let out a yawn and immediately regretted not napping on the plane. "To the hotel?"

Alex nodded as Tobin pulled down their carry-ons and stepped in the aisle, prepared to leave.

"Are you coming?" Tobin joked as Alex looked around to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything.

"Duh," she stepped out into the aisle and followed as Tobin led them past the other passengers and out of the plane.

"Is anyone meeting us here?" Alex clicked her phone on as she scanned for their bags.

"Uh, I think Seattle's flight is supposed to get here in like half an hour, US Soccer said they'd send a van to pick up all of us then," Tobin checked her watch as they walked towards baggage claim. "Wait, I lied, our flight finished a little early. The Seattle flight is supposed to get her around one and it's only noon."

Alex groaned, "An hour? A whole hour?"

Tobin just laughed, "You'll be fine. Do you wanna go find somewhere to eat while I grab our bags?"

"Sure," she leaned in for a hug before walking away. "Thanks, Tobs."

"No problem, text me when you find somewhere."

-

**Lex :) : bet you can't find me ;)**

**Tobs <3 : you're probably right**

**Tobs <3 : i have the bags if you wanna let me know tho**

**Lex :) : you're no fun :p**

**Lex :) : go to the east wing and call me from there**

 

-

 

Tobin let out a long yawn, careful not to move too much in hopes of letting Alex sleep a little longer.

A loud yell came from behind them, "Tobs!"

"Pinoe, if you rise to that decibel level one more time I will _personally_ make sure you won't be capable of making another noise for the rest of your life," Hope's voice rang out.

"Oh come on, what's the fun in being quiet?"

Alex rose from where she was nestled under Tobin's arm to greet their west coast companions, "How was your flight?"

"Would've been a lot better if this one knew how to shut up," Hope dropped her suitcase onto the ground and started rubbing her temples. "Not to mention her partner in crime over here," Hope jutted a thumb over to Sydney who looked half asleep as well.

"Flight wasn't so bad," Megan hooked an arm around Sydney's shoulder. "Right, buddy?"

"Pinoe, even _I_ can't deal with you right now," she yawned and turned to look at the airport around them. "I need caffeine."

Alex stood up and walked over to Sydney, "I've already located the nearest Starbucks, I'll take you."

They left as Tobin nodded, one hand in her pocket and the other holding out a Starbucks to-go cup to show Megan and Hope.

"Has US Soccer told you what time the van'll get here?" Hope moved hers and Sydney's luggage out of the way as Megan followed suit.

"No one's said anything, I think they were waiting till you guys arrived," Tobin shrugged as she set her coffee back down.

"I'll call them," she stepped away from their stuff as she raised her phone to her ear.

"Sooo," Megan slid up next to Tobin. "You and Alex were awfully _cozy_ when we got here," she winked and nudged Tobin.

"I guess so," Tobin shrugged and tried to tell herself she didn't have a crush on Alex. Or, whatever it was.

"Anything going on there that you might wanna tell your good ol' buddy Pinoe about?"

Tobin shrugged and cursed herself for wishing that there was.

Megan nodded and let her smile fall. "If you need to talk about anything that might be," she paused and looked over as Alex and Sydney came back with five coffees to accompany them. "Going on with her, or any girl-- or guy even, really, whatever works for you, Tobs," she raised an eyebrow as if she was trying to remember her point. "But really, I'm here for you, dude." She clapped her hand on Tobin's shoulder and offered a smile, "Always."

"Thanks, bro."

"We got you all coff-- where's Hope?" Alex held out the tray as Tobin and Megan took their own cups.

"Calling for the van," Tobin looked at her watch as Alex rested her head on her shoulder and sighed.

"Will we ever get out of airports today?" Alex groaned and pulled herself up from Tobin's shoulder before looking over to Sydney and Megan, "So how have your lives been?"

Megan and Sydney shared a look then turned back to Alex.

"Wonderful!" Sydney said with a large smile.

"Perfectly perfect in every way," Pinoe winked at Tobin who quickly realized just how close Alex was standing to her.

Tobin considered the possibility of the two of them having a bet going on over her and Alex and decided that was most-likely the reason for their odd behavior. She nearly laughed at the thought of what the stakes were or who believed what.

"You guys are weird," Alex shook her head as she rested back against Tobin, resulting in more giggling from Megan and Sydney.

 

-

 

"Do we have a meeting tonight?" Megan asked the trainers as she grabbed her room key.

"No, be in the lobby to report for dinner tonight at six though, all of you," he scanned over the small collection of west-coasters and continued to hand out keys.

 

-

 

"What are the odds that none of us are together?" Alex asked as they started down the hall.

"Well," Tobin began to tick off on her fingers. "We've got twenty-nine at this camp, Ash and Ali are at home together, plus Crystal's at her place, and Nairn too actually. So, that make for twenty-five in the hotel." She turned and whispered to herself as she counted them, "And there's five of us so we're a fifth of the team right now. So, not incredibly likely."

"Do you know what sarcasm is?" Hope laughed to herself as she stopped by the elevator. "I'm going up, any of you coming with?"

Megan and Tobin nodded and turned to follow her into the elevator.

"See ya tomorrow, guys," Pinoe called out.

"I'll text you," Alex said before the door shut and they began their ascent.

"Why so upset? Someone specific you wanted to room with?" Sydney winked as she stopped in front of her door. "Here's my door, I'm with Chalups," she slid her key through and was met with a green flash. "See ya tomorrow."

Alex nodded as a blush darkened her cheeks, "Yeah, see ya."

She slid her key through her own door a few moments later and was met with a napping Morgan Brian on one of the beds. She walked into the room as quietly as she could and began to pack her stuff. She wondered who Tobin's roommate was and if it would be easier for her and Tobin to hang out in her or there.

 

-

 

"Tobin's got a crush," Megan said as soon as the door slid shut.

"Pinoe!" Tobin slapped her arm, "I do _not_."

"It's okay, Hope's got one too," she offered as she shrugged.

"What makes you say that?" Hope tried to look unaffected as she flipped her room key over in her hands, but in all honesty, she had been pretty excited to be roomed with Kelley.

"Who is it?" Tobin turned to Hope completely bewildered.

"A certain Irish kiddo that resides in your home state," Pinoe giggled as Hope tried to restrain herself.

"Kelley?" Tobin shook her head then laughed. "Like, Kelley? Our Kelley?"

" _Hope's_ Kelley," Pinoe joked as they arrived at their floor.

"Really Hope?" Tobin shook her head as they began to part ways. "Tell Kelley I said hi!" She called out.

"Yeah, and tell her a few other things too!" Pinoe yelled.

Hope left before anything else could be said and threw up her middle finger at Megan and Tobin giggling behind her.

"Bet you're bummed you don't get to room with a certain special someone," Megan started wiggling her eyebrows and Tobin couldn't help but laugh.

"We're best friends, dude," she looked wistfully back at the elevator and tried to remember who her roommate was. "Kling's pretty cool though, I'll be good."

"Okay, okay, but give me one thing?"

"What?"

"Do you like her?"

Tobin looked up then back down at the floor. "Uh," she looked down the hall to gauge the running time it would take to escape to her room. She dcided it was too far. "I dunno, maybe."

Megan nodded, "Look, Tobs, I'm here for you. I'm not gonna make you talk about this if you don't want to, but I'm here for when you do." She reached her hand out and placed it on Tobin's shoulder, "We know I love to joke around, but I can be serious when I need to be."

"Thanks, Pinoe."

"No problem," she pulled back and turned to her own door. "I'll see you at dinner."

-

**Lex : morgan's already asleep**

**Tobs : it's like 2pm?**

**Lex : i know lol**

**Tobs : kling thinks she's funny**

**Lex : what happened?**

**Tobs : guess ko knew she was rooming with hope so they decided to prank me instead**

**Lex : was that your scream? haha**

**Tobs : shut up**

**Lex : sorry babe (i'm totally not sorry)**

Tobin froze and set her phone down. She started to think far too much about the use of the word 'babe' and walked over to her bed, flopping onto it.

"Rough flight?" Kling asked, turning to the other bed.

"Rough _day_ ," she corrected. "When's dinner again?"

"In like four hours, wanna do something to kill time?"

"Sure, what?" She leaned up off the bed and tried to do anything but think about inviting Alex to join them.

"Well I don't have anything but regular cards," she held up a deck of blue Bicycle cards. "Speed maybe?"

Tobin smiled, the best distraction was a competitive distraction. "Definitely, you're on, Kling."

"Oh, bring it, Tobs."

 

-

 

"Shit, did I wake you up? I'm sorry," Alex set the book she had just slammed shut onto the desk.

"Nah, you're fine," Morgan looked around the hotel room and saw the sun peering in. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Well, I don't know what time you got here, but it's half past three."

"Houston got to the hotel around eleven, so, awhile," she laughed through a yawn. "What's upsetting you?"

Alex sighed and wondered if Tobin ignoring her was something worth bothering Morgan with, "I dunno, just, nothing I guess."

"Oh, c'mon," Morgan shuffled off of her bed and walked over to Alex. "You can talk to me," she offered a dorky smile.

"Thanks, I dunno, it's just," she looked to her phone wistfully. "Tobin's ignoring me."

"Did something happen?"

"I don't think so? We were texting soon after we got to our rooms and she just stopped. It's been almost two hours."

"If Kling did that to me, I'd go hunt her down," Morgan offered with a laugh. "Need company for some confrontation?" As if reminding herself, she picked up her phone to shoot a message to Meghan.

**Moe :) : wanna hang?**

"I don't know, maybe she's sleeping or something. I wouldn't wanna bug her," Alex shrugged and began to feel kind of bad for possibly overreacting.

**Kling : chillin w the roomie rn**

Morgan nodded to her phone as a new idea came, "Who's Tobin rooming with?"

"Uh," she thought for a moment. "I'm not sure."

"Do you know her room number?"

"Nope."

"Come on," she grabbed Alex's wrist and pulled her to the door.

"What, why?"

"We're gonna find your friend."

 

-

 

"Sorry Christen, you sure you haven't seen Tobin?" Alex took note of Christen's lack of attentiveness and her wrinkled shirt and concluded that she'd followed suit with Morgan and napped once she got here.

Christen ran a hand through her hair and looked around as if to make sure she wasn't missing anything, "Positive, why?"

"We just can't find her," Morgan finished with a shrug.

"Hmm, I dunno, sorry guys," Christen stifled a yawn and turned back to her room. "I'll see you at dinner," she called out before shutting the door.

"Maybe Kling could give us insight? What room's she in?"

"Kling said she was spending time with her roommate, she's probably not too worried about where Tobin is," Morgan laughed to herself as a lightbulb went off in Alex's head.

"That's it! She's rooming with Kling!"

"How do you know?"

"Earlier, way earlier, she told me KO and Kling scared her because KO was rooming with Hope and they couldn't prank her. She's gotta be rooming with Kling."

"Okay, that's room two forty-two. Lead the way," Morgan gestured in front of her with a mock bow.

"I can't believe she's been ignoring me for Kling," Alex sighed as she started to walk to the door.

"Wait wait, Alex, Kling said they were hanging out, maybe she wasn't ignoring you?"

"She was purposefully not talking to me so she could talk to Kling. That's ignoring," Alex rolled her eyes and tried to walk ahead again as Morgan grabbed her wrist.

"Oh come on, we both know Tobin's not exactly one to be glued to her phone," she loosened her grip on Alex's arm. "Let's just not go in there and freak her out, yeah?"

Alex rolled her eyes, "Alright, sure, what do we do then?"

Morgan pondered her possibilities before walking up to the door and knocking on it. "I have an idea," she whispered as Alex followed behind her.

 

-

 

Tobin laid down her last three cards in succession, narrowly beating Meghan for what had to be their twentieth card game played by now.

What started out as a few friendly rounds of really anything, turned into an admission of feelings and guilt, also a quick text to Megan to keep her promise of staying in the loop.

Meghan had been comforting, to say the least. She was nice, and held Tobin, offering a warm smile and a few hearty laughs when she needed them most. Tobin had admitted that she maybe, sorta, kinda had feelings for Alex and she had no idea what to do.

So when Meghan answers the door to Alex and Morgan, Tobin has no idea what to expect. And all she can really think about is how beautiful Alex looks with that dorky smile and her hair pulled over her shoulder. And when she's wearing one of Tobin's PTFC workout shirts from the season that she'd _insisted_ on wearing for the flight because it was 'more comfortable,' Tobin can't help but maybe, sorta, kinda fall in love just a little bit more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it :) The next part'll pick up right where I left off with them at camp and I'm kind of excited to write it so hopefully it won't take too long. Also, guys the roster for the next camps came out today! Who're you most excited to see at this next camp? Can you guess who I'm most excited for? And no, Patdy, you don't get to guess (Hint: They're not on my favorite team and also they were mentioned in this chapter) (My favorite team won the championship in case you didn't know) Anyway, thank you so much for reading and if you liked it you should let me know :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five times that their teammates decided they needed a little (or a big) push.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super sorry this took so long, but I wanted it to be a good ending, y'know? (This is the last of it, except the epilogue that will come around eventually)

_One_

“We're going to the beach!” Morgan yelled as she walked past Meghan and into the room.

“We are?” Meghan asked, holding the door open so Alex could follow Morgan.

“We are!” Morgan leaned down and picked up the pile of cards, shuffling them and putting them back in the box.

“Uhh, alright,” Tobin jumped up from her spot on the floor and looked at Alex. “Hey, Lex,” she offered a smile and Meghan nearly groaned at the affection pouring from her friend.

Alex smiled back, “Hey Tobs.”

“Welcome back, Portlandians,” Meghan joked.

“Portlandians?” Morgan looked over disapprovingly. “That was a bad attempt at a joke Kling, stop.”

“Oh come on Moe! You love my sense of humor,” Meghan wrapped Morgan in a hug from the side.

“I just like you because you help with my Stats homework,” she joked, shrugging Meghan off of her shoulder and turning to Alex and Tobin. “Are you ready?”

Tobin looked to Meghan as if she knew why Morgan had busted into their room unannounced and with plans.

“Yeah sure,” Kling answered for them. “Tobs and I are just gonna get our swimsuits and stuff.”

“Alright! Alex and I will meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes, don't be late!"

-

“What was that?” Alex asked as they walked down the hallway.

“You like Tobin,” Morgan shrugged as if she was stating the weather. “And Kling and I are gonna do something about it.”

“Wait wait, what do you mean I like Tobin? Of course I like her, she's my best friend!”

“No no, you _liiike_ Tobin,” Morgan wiggled her eyebrows as she hit the button to call the elevator. “It's obvious.”

“How so?”

“It's in everything you do, we got to the hotel, you were texting Tobin. Tobin was ignoring you, it affected everything you were doing,” Morgan nearly laughed at the look of revelation on Alex’s face. “Also, did you honestly think I wasn't awake when you were groaning into your pillow something about _What is Tobin doing that's better than me? Well, not like Tobin is doing me, but-- ugh, I know what I mean!_ ” Morgan mocked. “Can't believe you talk to yourself dude, that's kinda weird.”

Alex opened her mouth to say something but closed it again when she couldn't think of anything.

“It's cool man, besides, it’s kind of obvious that the feeling’s mutual.”

“What do you mean?” Alex asked. Sure, she'd thought about being with Tobin romantically, who hasn't thought about with their best friend. Well, straight people. Straight people might not think of that.

“Oh please, you two scream couple. You guys look like more of a couple than Kling and I do.”

“You and Kling don't look like a couple,” Alex argued.

“Okay, sure, but you're basing that off of the thought that you and Tobin have a perfectly normal best friend relationship,” Morgan laughed at Alex’s struggle to come up with a valid argument. “People on the Dash tease us about it all the time, Ella and Erin especially.”

“Really?”

“Really, dude.”

-

“Do you know what she’s up to?” Tobin asked as soon as Morgan and Alex left the room.

“Not a clue,” Meghan admitted with a shrug. “Anyway, let's get ready.”

Tobin shrugged and walked over to her suitcase then into the bathroom to change. She walked out with her bikini on under a loose tshirt and a pair of jean shorts a few minutes later, “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, sure,” Meghan nodded as she unplugged her phone, “Let's head down.”

-

**Moe :) : talk to tobs! does she like alex?**

**Kling : probably, i mean, they are besties**

**Moe :) : no, LIKE like**

**Moe :) : alex likes tobin**

**Moe :) : we're setting them up**

**Kling : we?**

**Moe :) : you and me, duh**

“Can I ask you something?” Meghan asked, looking up at Tobin who was sitting in a recliner across from her. She dropped her voice lower so no one else could hear, “Do you think Alex likes you?”

“I doubt she even likes girls,” Tobin admitted, slumping back in her chair. She had already done far too many confessions for the day.

“But I thought Betos said--”

“Yeah, but Betos loves to joke around, so, who knows really?”

“I bet _she_ knows,” Meghan leaned forward and pointed behind Tobin.

Tobin turned to see Morgan and Alex walking towards them, Morgan in sweatpants and a loose tshirt and Alex in-- was that _her_ jacket?

“Your girl’s got nice taste,” Meghan winked at Tobin as she stood up and Tobin followed quickly.

“She's not _my_ girl,” Tobin defended. “Alex, did you take my hoodie?”

“I've had this one, Tobin,” Alex laughed lightly as Morgan joined in.

“Yeah, didn't you give it to her?” Morgan continued in a voice that was far too confusing for Tobin to decipher.

“I mean--” Tobin started to explain but was quickly cut off.

“Yeah, Tobin, where else would she get a UNC hoodie?” Meghan joined.

“Whatever, can we just go to the beach now?”

-

Tobin and Alex were just about to branch off for a walk by themselves until Tobin received an incoming call.

“Hello?” She asked, raising the phone to her ear reluctantly.

“You're probably dry-humping your lady-love right now, but be in the lobby for dinner in ten,” Megan warned.

“Dang, thanks Pinoe,” Tobin answered before she hung up. “We need to go back to the hotel.”

Alex sighed and stuck the hand she kept brushing by Tobin’s in a pathetic attempt to hold hands in her pocket, “Guess we better go then.”

Morgan and Meghan both offered her a sympathetic smile before they began their trek back to the hotel.

-

“We’ve _totally_ gotta do better next time,” Meghan whispered as they approached the hotel.

“True, who knew we were such great matchmakers though?” Morgan whispered back as they trailed behind Alex and Tobin.

“Well, in this case, the match kind of made itself,” Meghan paused as if lost in thought. “But you’re totally right, we’re awesome!” She held up her hand and they high-fived walking into the hotel lobby.

Megan called out, waving them over to the team, “Hey losers! You’re late!”

“You’re one of five people here, also, you called me like two minutes ago,” Tobin dug her hands into her pockets slightly annoyed.

“Chill out, what gives, Tobs?” Carli asked from where she was slumped over in a chair behind Megan.

Tobin shrugged and mumbled an apology as Alex reached out for her arm.

“You alright?” Alex whispered, tugging on her arm slightly.

“I dunno, I just, I’m tired I guess,” she shrugged and sat down on one of the couches, Alex taking the seat right next to her - far closer than necessary - and put her arm around Tobin who relaxed onto her chest.

-

 ****  


“So how do we found out who was right?” Sydney whispered to Megan as they walked to the other side of the lobby.

“Well, like I told you, Tobin’s already admitted she likes Alex--”

“But does Alex like her?” Sydney interrupted.

“I don’t know, that’s the problem,” Megan let out a frustrated sigh.

“Afraid you’re gonna have to fork over the twenty, huh?”

“Nah,” Megan looked back across the lobby. “Afraid Tobin’s gonna get hurt,” she admitted. “She’s such a good kid, y’know?”

Sydney nodded sympathetically, “I stick by it though, I think the feeling’s mutual.”

Megan turned back to Sydney and smiled at her hope; she had to admit, she’d take Tobin’s happiness over twenty dollars any day.

\------------

_Two_

They're at dinner, the whole team was, but with the way they're looking at each other, they might as well have been the only two people in the world.

“Sorry we're late!” Ashlyn called across the table as she took the seat opposite of Tobin.

“Yeah, traffic was _terrible_ ,” Ali agreed as she sat next to her girlfriend.

Jill looked at them suspiciously until Megan commented from her seat to the right of Tobin, “Oh yeah, I heard about that accident, you guys alright?”

Ashlyn looked confused for a moment before nodding and playing along, “Right, yeah. No, we’re alright, just made for a heck of a time trying to get it over here.”

Jill nodded and decided to let it go before turning back to her conversation at the coach’s table.

“You’re welcome,” Megan smirked into her water as Ashlyn picked up a menu.

“We were just running late!” Ali defended as she picked up her own menu. “We were coming here at five, I swear.”

“You may have been coming, but it definitely wasn’t to here,” Alex commented, pulling out of the whispered conversation she and Tobin had been having.

Tobin started laughing so hard she snorted and Alex had to pat her on the back a few times to make sure she was okay. “Nice one, Lex,” she muttered through another cough attempting to get the water out of her lungs.

Megan nodded and threw up her hand for a high five, “Didn’t know you had it in ya, Al!”

“How the hell did you--”

“Know you guys were having sex?” Alex finished. “Have you seen your hair, Ali?”

“Ash! You said it looked fine,” she glared  to her left as she combed her fingers through her hair.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Alex laughed with a shrug. “You guys were late and I guess Ashlyn is glowing or something,” she gestured to Tobin who nodded, taking another drink of her water.

“Yeah,” Tobin pulled the glass away and set it on the table. “Once you guys walked in, I mentioned it to Alex.”

“Tobin told me, _I bet they were having sex_ , and when the opportunity for a joke came, I couldn’t stop myself,” Alex said with a laugh as Ali grew progressively more red around the ears and Ashlyn’s smile grew larger.

“I couldn’t stop myself either with Ali in that shirt,” Ashlyn joked, holding out her hand for a high five from Pinoe.

-

 ****  


“How did we get bumped from the cool table?” Morgan whispered to Meghan, a few seats down from the conversation.

“We didn’t get bumped,” Meghan reminded her. “You insisted we sit over here to _silently observe the growing couple_ , or something.”

“Oh, right,” she nodded for a moment before continuing to complain. “But I wanna make sex jokes too!”

“None of your sex jokes are even funny,” Meghan laughed to herself before continuing. “So what was your great plan about spying or something?”

“Oh yeah,” Morgan nodded and pulled her phone out of her pocket. “So we have until next Saturday morning for everyone to go home,” she started, flipping through the _Notes_ app on her phone.

“And?” Meghan prompted, waiting for her to finish the thought.

“ _And_ , that gives us just under one week for Alex and Tobin to see that they’re madly in love with each other, duh,” Morgan finished, holding out her phone for Meghan. “We’ll be busy with practices and team meeting or meals all the time except for the rest of the night; Tuesday afternoon, where we’re taking them to the fair; Thursday night, where we’ll be hanging out and watching movies in Hope and Kelley’s room; and Friday after the game,” she said as Meghan read along with her masterplan on the phone.

“Wait, so what are we doing tonight?”

Morgan glanced over and realized just how close they were to Alex and Tobin, “I'll explain later.”

“Alright, I think we can do this,” she admitted.

“Oh, I _know_ we can,” Morgan countered, glancing at Tobin and Alex down the table.

-

**Pinoe created the chat ‘Matchmakers’**

**Pinoe added Syd, Ash, Ali, Moe, Kling, and Hope to the conversation**

**Pinoe : is it just me or is there some CRAZY tension in here**

**Ash : Hope and Kelley eye-fucking or Tobs and Alex dry-humping**

**Hope : We're just eating dinner.**

**Ash : across from each other**

**Ash : with your eyes locked**

**Hope : This is not about Kelley and I.**

**Ash : so Alex and Tobs it is**

**Pinoe : slooow yourselves, Kling and Moe let me in on their plan**

**Kling: when? I just got told about this?**

Meghan set her phone down and glared at Morgan, “Really? You told Pinoe before me? Thought we were partners in crime?”

“Well yeah but I knew we'd be sitting next to each other, so, I told Pinoe on the way here.”

**Pinoe : hellooo earth to Moe and Kling, we're texting so they don't hear us? so stop talking?**

**Ali : i’m not a part of this**

**Ali left the conversation**

Ashlyn chuckled as she set her phone down and looked over to Ali, “Really babe? Don't wanna get in on the fun?”

Alex looked up from hers and Tobin’s conversation, “Ooh, what fun?”

“We're all going to Hope’s room for the night, and you and Tobin better join,” Pinoe interjected.

“Sounds like a plan, right Tobs?” Alex looked back over and smiled in her direction. “Come with me to Hope’s?”

Tobin looked around the table to the pairs of expecting eyes surrounding her, “I mean, sure, why not?” She sighed, thinking so much for a night alone with Alex. Not like they didn't just come from their shared apartment, where they hardly ever slept in different beds, but, this week was gonna kind of suck without Alex's arms surroundings her to help her fall asleep.

“Great,” Alex smiled and turned back to her plate.

**Pinoe : close one, dumbass**

**Ash : it's Ali’s fault she's not cool!**

Ali leaned over to whisper to Ashlyn, “I can still read your screen, babe.”

Ashlyn let out a light laugh and nodded, “Fair enough. Good thing I looove you, right?”

“Did I tell you guys we’re getting a room in the hotel?” Ali turned to the table, ignoring her girlfriend.

“No, you didn't. What for?” Tobin asked, deciding that the meaningless conversation she had been having with Alex could be put off to engage with their friends that lived on the opposite coast.

“Well, Jill said we could stay in our house, but we decided it would be easier for getting to and from everywhere if we were in the hotel,” Ali started, leaning forward and whispering to not reveal their method of cheating the system to the trainers.

“Yeah, but Jill also said if we roomed with the team, they'd have to separate us,” Ashlyn continued.

“Yep, so we booked a room for ourselves!”

-

Awhile later, long after all their food had arrived, Pinoe decided to send another text complimenting Ali and Ashlyn on their lying abilities.

**Pinoe : nice cover story btw**

**Ash : Ali said wanting to meddle in your friends’ love lives wasn't a good enough reason**

**Syd : with all of us texting someone's gonna catch up soon**

As if on cue, Alex looked around the table and let out a laugh, “Everyone on their phones, what are we, nineteen?”

“Well, Moe is--” Meghan started until she was punched in the arm by Morgan herself. “ _Ow_. Anyway, I was going to say, Moe is pretty young, maybe we should all head back to the hotel so she can catch her bedtime after the movie.”

Morgan punched her in the arm again, “Actually, what I _think_ Kling meant, was that Hope is pretty old so maybe we should head back so she can catch her bedtime. Wouldn't want our movie room hostess to fall asleep, now would we?”

Hope mentioned something to Kelley before looking up at the rest of her team. “And Kelley’s like five, so-- _oof_ ,” that was met with a swift punch in the gut from Kelley. “Yeah, sure, let's go,” she choked out despite the lack of breath left in her lungs.

-

“This is a nice movie,” Alex whispered to Tobin who was situated comfortable in between her legs, head resting on her chest.

“Yeah, it's alright,” she shrugged, turning away from the screen and into Alex’s arm. “Just wish we could've spent time together instead,” she mumbled.

Alex dropped her hand down to hold Tobin’s and squeezed it gently, “We’re still together. Besides, we’re with our teammates. Shouldn't this count as, like, bonding or something?”

Hope shot a glare across the room from the floor where Kelley was snuggled into her side. “Stop talking through the movie,” she whispered, loud enough to interrupt everyone's viewing experience.

“In our defense, we've actually seen it,” Alex countered, absentmindedly twirling one of the rings on Tobin’s hand.

“Oh right, didn't you guys go to the premier thing? _Together_?” Megan joked, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

“What premier?” Kelley leaned up groggily and blinked her eyes through the dim room, lit up only by the tv with the movie playing on behind them.

“The Breaking Dawn Part Two Premier? Y'know, the premier of the movie we’re watching?” Alex asked, stating the obvious to the girl who'd fallen asleep on Hope.

“How many times are you guys gonna say the word premier?” Morgan questioned from her spot next to Meghan on one of the beds.

“It's only been four,” Meghan offered, reaching up to pull Morgan back down to cuddle with her. “Unless you count just now when you said it. Then it's been five.”

“How come nobody wants to cuddle with me?” Megan whined, gesturing to the various people paired off; Morgan and Meghan on the bed, Tobin and Alex on the floor in front of them, Ali and Ashlyn in between the beds, and Kelley and Hope in front of Megan’s bed.

Sydney stood up from her spot on the floor directly in front of the tv and walked over to Megan, “Don't worry, I'll cuddle with you.” She slumped next to Pinoe and wrapped her arms around the shorter girl.

“Thank you, now I feel loved,” Megan called up from the bed.

-

 ****  


“Y'know, I think it might be working,” Morgan whispered to Meghan as she gestured in front of them.

“What?” She whispered back.

Morgan pointed at the silhouettes of Alex and Tobin’s heads leaning against each other at the foot of the bed they were on, “Them.”

Meghan smiled and secured her arms around Morgan, “We’re great at matchmaking.”

“Totally.”

-

“Well, thank you for having us, but I think we’ll be leaving,” Morgan said, rising from the bed as credits rolled across the screen.

“Shh, just, don't wake up Kelley,” Hope waved them out of the room as she tried to not jostle the smaller girl sleeping in her arms.

“Told you guys Hope had a crush,” Megan said as they all followed Morgan out of the room.

Tobin nodded as if following along, but in actuality, she was relying entirely on the support from Alex’s hand to support her so she didn't keel over and pass out. “Yeah, totally,” she mumbled.

Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulders and followed Meghan and Morgan to their room down the hall.

“Want me to make sure she gets in bed alright?” Meghan offered, a wry smile on her face.

“Nah, I've got it,” Alex insisted, pulling Tobin into the room and helping her into the bed, pulling the blanket up and giving her a small kiss on the forehead before whispering a, “good night, Toby,” and leaving.

“Night guys,” Meghan said, pulling away from a hug with Morgan.

“What, not gonna follow me to my room so you can tuck me in?” Morgan teased as Meghan disappeared behind the door.

“Shut up,” Alex warned, leading the way to the elevator to meet up with Sydney so they could all follow it down to their rooms.

\------------

_Three_

“Okay, this is just plain boring,” Morgan sighed and slumped into the bench they were sitting on.

“Hey, cheer up,” Meghan offered her bag of cotton candy to the younger girl. “Want me to take you on one of the big kid rides?” She teased.

“Alright, one, I'm taller than you, and two, we were put on Tobin and Alex duty. If we lose them, Pinoe might just kill us. Also, do Syd and Pinoe strike you as, I dunno, a thing?”

“They strike me as best friends that love to make people look at them oddly,” Meghan gestured across the field to where they were holding hands and sharing a soft pretzel. “I think it's less of a feelings-for-each-other thing and more of a let’s-fake-date-to-freak-out-the-homophobes thing, y'know?”

Morgan thought for a moment then nodded, “Yeah, I can definitely see that.”

“Wait, Moe?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you see where Tobin and Alex went?”

“Uh, I thought you were watching them?”

“I was looking at Pinoe and Syd,” Meghan corrected.

“Well shit, so was I!” Morgan turned to look at the various rides and tents surrounding them. “Let's go find them, I guess.”

-

“This is your fault,” Meghan grumbled as they left one of the tents, a large teddy bear in her hand.

“How so?”

“You wanted to do something more exciting.”

“Well hey, I won you a teddy bear!”

-

A large grin broke out on Alex’s face as she took the oversized stuffed animal from Tobin, “Thanks Tobs!”

“Yeah no problem, I was always good at these,” she shrugged and gestured to the game behind her.

“I thought they were rigged, something about the bottle top being too big for the ring?”

“They are, it's all about the angle you toss the ring at, find the sweet spot and the ring’ll slip right on,” Tobin smiled as she looked over at Alex who was holding a stuffed lion longer than her torso.

Alex reached down to hold Tobin’s hand and scoped the area around them, “Where are Moe and Kling, weren't they hanging out with us?”

Tobin readjusted her hand to be more comfortable with Alex’s. “Try stalking, but yeah, something like that,” Tobin looked around as well. “Should I call them?”

“Can we just,” Alex tugged on Tobin’s hand so they were facing each other. “Can we just enjoy this time together maybe?”

Tobin broke out into a grin, “Of course, Lex.”

-

“Oh you're kidding me, right?” Morgan stopped and gestured in front of her where she finally spotted Tobin and Alex.

“What is it?” Meghan looked over and tried to find the two girls.

“They're there,” Morgan pointed to the top of the Ferris wheel. “The Ferris wheel, this is a joke, right?”

“And they're _not_ dating?” Meghan sighed and dropped her hands to her sides. “Getting these two together is gonna be harder than I thought if they won't do it themselves soon.”

-

**Moe : WHAT are you doing? kiss her!!**

Alex looked at her phone then back up at Tobin, “You’ve been having fun, right?”

Tobin looked back over from where she'd been admiring the skyline. She had to admit, Alex was a much better view. “Yeah, of course!” She smiled and raised an eyebrow, “So have you, right?”

“Any time spent with you is a good time,” Alex returned the smile and dropped her hand onto the little bit of seat left between her and Tobin.

Tobin took a slow, deep breath in as she let her hand fall next to Alex’s, “Sorry I've been so busy.”

“We've literally been doing the same things,” Alex let out a light laugh and shifted her hand a little closer. “It's alright Tobs, I've been busy too.”

“Well, yeah, I know that, but,” she sighed and let out a shrug as she shifted her hand even closer so their pinky fingers were just brushing each other.

Alex cursed herself - both of them, really - for being so _damn_ awkward because they were best friends and best friends totally hold hands sometimes and _they_ totally hold hands quite often, but for some reason, when they weren't doing just best friend things - such as, riding a Ferris wheel together, stuck at the top with a stuffed lion that Tobin won for her in her lap - Alex lost every ounce of confidence. She was nervous, but Alex Morgan didn't get nervous. She took what she wanted to and she'd never been afraid to do so, however, something about Tobin just transformed her into into a school girl with a crush.

After a few seconds in silence, sitting at the top of the Ferris wheel, a realization hit her. Alex went over it in her head and began to feel a bit giddy, because Tobin was different. Alex went through a checklist in her head consisting of characteristics of the _normal_ Tobin and almost immediately felt high off of the change. _Normal_  Tobin wouldn't shift closer and closer to her so they could hold hands, and if Tobin didn't just hold her hand that meant she was nervous. And if she was nervous, then she had something to fear. And if the had something to fear, that meant she didn't want to lose Alex.

Tobin didn't want to lose her and if nothing else, it was a start. But for Alex? That thought was enough.

Alex stretched and let out a fake yawn, then dropped her hand back to the seat, making sure to drop it on top of Tobin’s and interlocked their ring and pinky fingers.

Tobin looked back over, glanced at their hands, and then smiled up at Alex. They both shifted in slightly closer to each other - they didn't need as much space on the seat if their hands were occupying the same space instead of being adjacent to each other - and relaxed into a comfortable silence.

-

“What do you mean you lost us? Were we supposed to stay with you guys?” Alex asked innocently as they got off of the Ferris wheel.

“I mean that Syd and Pinoe put us in charge of not losing you, and we lost you,” Meghan explained. “But anyway, it's about time to go, it's getting kind of late.”

Morgan nodded, “Yeah we should all head back to the hotel before we get in trouble.”

“Alright, let's go,” Alex said, turning towards the parking lot with Tobin right next to her.

-

“I can't believe you didn't kiss her at the top of that thing,” Morgan sighed obnoxiously before heading back into the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth. “I mean--” she wiped at the water around her mouth, “you had the chance!”

“I didn't want to push her,” Alex shrugged and slumped further into her bed.

“You both need a good push,” Morgan stated as she left the bathroom and walked over to sit next to Alex. She draped an arm around her shoulders, “Don't worry, I'm on it.”

“You are?”

“I am.”

\------------

_Four_

“Do I _have_ to go?” Alex whined as Morgan continued to try and shove her out of the door.

“This is, like, _total_ cuddle material,” Morgan explained, grabbing her phone from the table.

“What if Tobin doesn't even go?”

“Oh please, Kling’s on it.”

-

“Don't you want to spend time with your teammates?” Meghan asked, gesturing towards the door.

“We've been training together all day,” Tobin pointed out as she slumped even further into her head, burying her nose in her phone.

“What about Alex?”

“Why _about_ Alex? Is she even going?”

“Of course she's going! And I'm sure she'd _love_ to spend time with you!”

“Y'know, Kling, I told you that stuff in confidence,” Tobin set her phone down and crossed her arms.

“What? Tobs, I totally get it. Don’t you think you have a chance though?”

“A chance for what? A chance for Alex to realize that she’s definitely straight and break my heart? A chance to lose my best friend? A chance to ruin everything I have with her?” Tobin clenched her jaw and looked away, “I can’t risk that Kling, I just can’t.”

Meghan nodded and walked over, wrapping her arm around Tobin, “That won’t happen Tobs, I promise.”

**Kling [to Matchmakers] : code red**

-

**Moe : what was code red again?**

**Pinoe : did you ignore the text i sent out**

**Moe : most definitely**

**Kling : Tobs doesn’t wanna go tonight**

**Hope : we are sacrificing my room for this she better get her ass over here**

**Syd : we all know Hope wants some quality KO time ;)**

**Hope : Shut up.**

**Syd : but you didn't deeeennnyyyy itttt**

**Pinoe : we can tease hope later we have more important things to deal with**

**Moe : i JUST told Alex you were on this Kling**

**Moe : you need to start pulling your weight here**

**Kling : i’m TRYING dammit**

-

“Hey, please go? They're starting the movie soon and I'd hate for you to miss it,” Meghan stood in the doorway, hoping Tobin would change her mind. “Even if you're not looking for anything more to happen with Alex, you guys are still friends.”

Tobin tilted her head from side to side then finally rose from the bed, “I suppose you're right, I guess I'll go.”

“You're the best!” Meghan pulled her into a hug as they walked out of the room.

**Kling : crisis averted**

-

“You made it!” Megan called from her spot on one of the beds.

“Tobs! We were just about to start the movie!” Ashlyn rose from where she was sitting with Ali on the floor in between the beds. “So glad you could take time out of your busy schedule to spend time with your loving teammates,” she walked over and gave Tobin a hug as if it had been longer than the time since their practice the morning that they'd seen each other.

Alex stood up from the bed where she'd been with Morgan to make a spot for Meghan and walked over to the foot of the bed where she and Tobin had sat two days before. “Wanna sit with me?” She offered, holding out her hand before sitting down.

“Yeah, that'd be great,” Tobin offered a soft smile as she took Alex’s hand.

Alex pulled her down so they were sitting as closely as possible and Tobin felt a bit worried because _fuck_ , she was falling, but she really wouldn't mind if Alex found a way for them to be even closer to each other. She really wouldn’t mind if Alex did just about anything.

-

“Do you think they’d be mad if we left?” Alex whispered into Tobin’s chest.

“Hmm?” She looked down from the movie to meet Alex’s eyes, “Say something?”

Alex tilted her head up so Tobin would be able to hear her, “Think we can leave?”

“I’d offer to claim illness, but we have a game tomorrow,” Tobin joked, leaning down to kiss Alex on the forehead. “We’ll be alright, this movie can only be so much longer, right?”

Alex buried her face back into Tobin’s shirt and they sat there just enjoying each other’s company for a few moments until Alex broke the silence save for the background noise of the movie again, “Think we’re gonna win tomorrow?” Alex asked, tucking herself into the crook of Tobin’s arm and repositioning herself so she could face the television.

Tobin leaned down to whisper into Alex’s ear, “I think we’re gonna kick butt, you’re gonna score some super awesome goals, and I’m gonna be more proud of you than I ever thought possible.”

Alex blushed slightly, “It’s just a friendly, not that important.”

“Maybe, but it’s important to me.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because you’re close to breaking Abby’s record, duh.”

“That matters to you?” Alex turned to look at Tobin only to notice she was already looking at her, nothing but adoration shining through her eyes.

“Everything you do matters to me, Lex,” Tobin said with a small smile. “I’m your number one fan,” her smile grew into a cheesy grin as Alex tilted up to place a kiss on her cheek.

“And I, yours,” Alex responded, pulling away from Tobin and then settling into her chest, the movie playing to her back, long forgotten.

-

“Hey, Lex,” Tobin patted the girl’s back and tried to gently wake her. “Lex, movie’s over.”

“Just let me,” Alex hummed as she buried her nose into Tobin’s neck.

“Now, that's just adorable,” Pinoe flipped the lights on in an attempt to pull Alex out of her slumber.

“Protect me,” Alex mumbled, trying to get Tobin to shield her from the light.

“Lex, we've got a game tomorrow, let's go,” she stood up slowly, pulling Alex with her.

“Oh yeah, I forgot we have to…do…that thing,” Alex looked around the newly bright room. “Sorry, let’s,” she yawned and grabbed Tobin’s hand. “Let’s go to bed, babe,” she pulled Tobin through the door and towards the elevator.

Morgan smacked Meghan on the arm and pointed to the pair of girls in the hallway in front of them, “Did you hear that? She said babe, did you hear that? We totally did that!”

Meghan slung an arm around the younger girl, “Sure we did, Moe. Sure we did.”

-

“Hey,” Morgan whispered as she let the door fall shut.

“Hey, sorry, she didn’t want me to leave till she fell asleep,” Tobin started to ease her way out of the bed, gently to not wake Alex. “She’s kinda nervous, big day tomorrow,y’know?”

“Yeah,” Morgan let out a small laugh. “Good thing she has you, right?”

Tobin gave a small smile in return, “Yeah, uh, I guess so.” She started towards the door before turning back, “Hey uh, Moe?”

“Yeah, Tobs?”

“Do you think-- nah, nevermind,” she turned back to the door and started on her way out until Morgan called after her.

“Wait, Tobin, I’ve gotta tell you something.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s not a lost cause,” she reached out and placed a comforting hand on Tobin’s arm.

“Huh?”

“You’ve got a chance, just,” she smiled and patted Tobin’s arm. “Don’t be afraid.”

Tobin nodded and returned the smile, “Thanks, Moe. You’re a good friend, for both of us.”

Morgan started let the door fall as Tobin left the room, “Goodnight, Tobs.”

“Night, Moe.”

\------------

_Five_

They won. They beat Canada, Alex beat Abby’s goal record, and they _fucking_ won.

After one of the goals - Alex’s second of the game, the one that passed Abby’s record - Alex ran, eyes searching for none other than Tobin Heath herself, and leaped into her arms.

That night, _everybody_ drank, but _nobody_ drank more than Alex herself, hanging over Tobin, choking down champagne like she’d just won the World Cup itself.

-

“Listen, Tobsssiin, yoouu are my beeeeeesst friend in the whooooole world, and I don’t know _what_ I would do without you,” Alex dipped her head under Tobin’s chin and leaned up to Tobin’s neck. “How about we get out of here, yeah?”

Tobin felt herself begin to sober up, “Yeah, sure, Lex.” Tobin bit her lip and looked around the bar for an exit, “Let’s go back to the hotel, alright?”

-

**Tobs : i need the room tonight**

**Kling : all yours ;)**

-

Meghan took a screenshot of the text from Tobin to send to their group message after showing it to Morgan, who let out a delighted squeal.

**Kling [to Matchmakers] : [picture message]**

**Pinoe : wait, for real??**

**Syd : seriously??**

**Hope : so we get to keep our room tonight then?**

Morgan smiled and gave Meghan a tight hug, “I’m really happy we won, you’re the best defender I know.”

“You’re the best center-mid I know,” she said as she returned the hug, picking up a round of shots the bartender had poured for them. “And neither of us are _nearly_ drunk enough.”

-

The next morning, Alex woke up to the harsh light pouring in from the window. “Tobs, wha--” she looked around and noticed their clothing from the night before strewn across the floor. “Shit, Tobs, did we?”

Tobin stood up from the other bed, “Shh, nah, Alex, we didn’t--”

“I am _so_ sorry Tobin, I drank way too much and I--”

“Nah, Lex,” she let out a loose laugh. “We’re good, promise.”

“What happened last night?” She sat up in her bed and realized she was fully clothed, except in a shirt and a pair of shorts belonging to Tobin rather than her clothes from the night before, sticky with spilled alcohol. She groaned at her headache and rested her head in her hands.

“Well,” Tobin wiped the sleep from her eyes and prepared to recount what happened the night before. “We played Canada, you got a hat-trick, beat Abby’s record by two goals, we won, we went to the bar, we celebrated, and, well,” she laughed to herself before continuing. “It seems like you think we had sex.”

“Oh god, I’m-- did we not? What did I, what did we, what did--”

“Hey, Lex,” Tobin sat on the bed next to her and pulled her into a hug. “We’re good, we’re-- We’re alright.”

“Tobin, can I admit something?”

“That you wanna get in my pants?” She teased, met with a light punch on the arm.

“No,” Alex laughed and leaned into Tobin. “I--”

“Hey, Lex, go take a shower,” she stood up from the bed and helped pull Alex with her. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Yeah?”

“Promise.”

-

“Hey, Tobs?” Alex stepped out of the bathroom, wearing Tobin's clothes since all of hers were in hers and Morgan's room and drying her hair with a towel.

“Yeah, Lex?”

“Can we talk about that thing I wanted to talk about?”

“Yeah, sure,” Tobin bit her lip and leaned in for a hug. “Just, let me have this for a second,” Tobin hugged Alex tightly and relished in the moment, worried of what Alex was going to try and talk about.

Alex pulled back and smiled, “It’s not bad, I promise. Just, Tobin?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember that time we went to Paris?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanna go back.”

“Oh, uh, alright,” Tobin smiled. “Sure, we could do that if you want.”

“I want it to be different this time, though,” Alex said, leaning in to rest her head on Tobin’s chest.

“You do?”

“Yeah, I--” she hesitated for a moment before finishing the thought. “I don’t want people to be wrong when they think we’re dating.”

“Yeah?” A smile broke out on Tobin’s face, “You want that?”

“With you? I want everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked it :)  
> There will be an epilogue eventually, thank you for the wait and thanks again for reading!  
> Have a favorite of the 'fifteen times'? Have anything you wanna see in the epilogue?   
> Also, for the record, Syd totally won the bet.


	4. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five times they were happy and in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess it's twenty times now, huh?

_ One. _

Tobin loaded hers and Alex’s suitcases into the back of the car, closing the trunk and leaning against it as Alex walked out of their apartment building. Tobin took a second, allowing herself to take it in. Alex was her girlfriend of over a year now, best friend of many. She was in love with Alex Morgan (she couldn't tell you how long it had been, the line between love and in love had blurred long ago), and most importantly, Alex Morgan was in love with her. 

Alex walked up to Tobin, placing her hands on her waist and a kiss on her cheek. “Ready to go, babe?”

Tobin smiled and pulled her into a hug. “Yeah, sure. I'll drive.”

“You don't have to,” Alex pulled away from the hug. “I'm okay to drive.”

“I'm good,” Tobin leaned in for another kiss (a real one this time). 

Alex obliged and threaded her fingers through Tobin’s before pulling away so they could walk to separate sides of the car. “If you insist.”

-

“It's too early,” Alex yawned as Tobin pulled into a drive through off to the side of the road. 

Tobin nodded as she pulled up to the window. “What do you want, Lex?” 

“Uhm, just whatever the number one is and a million coffees.” Alex attempted to stretch in the confined space of the passenger side. 

Tobin nodded and rubbed her thumb against Alex's hand as she ordered. She pulled through and as they left, Alex nearly burned herself on her coffee. 

Alex cursed then dabbed at her chest with a napkin. “Ow, you turned too quickly!”

Tobin rolled her eyes as she took a bite of her biscuit. “Sure, Lex,” she mumbled. “Because it's always  _ my _ fault.” 

Alex leaned across the center console to kiss her on the cheek. “Glad you understand.”

-

They were on the freeway with the windows down and music blasting until Alex let go of Tobin's hand to turn down the volume. Alex adjusted her sunglasses before resting her hand on Tobin’s thigh. “Do you wanna stop for lunch soon?”

Tobin glanced to Alex and then the GPS on her (their, it was their car) dashboard. “We've got about six more hours on the road, as of right now we should get there at seven.”

Alex leaned across the car to kiss Tobin’s neck, “We have time to stop.” She kissed her again. “And enjoy,” another kiss. “A nice meal,” another kiss. “Together somewhere.”

Tobin nodded and tried to ignore the way Alex was trying to make her unravel. “I'm  _ driving _ , Lex.”

“Then stop driving,” she said simply with another kiss.

Tobin clenched her jaw and trained her eyes on the roads a she felt Alex slide her hand farther up her thigh. “Is your seatbelt even on?”

Alex laughed and pulled back, sitting in her own seat but pulling one of Tobin's hands from the wheel so she could hold it. “You're ruining the moment.”

“What moment?”

“The one I was  _ trying  _ to make,” Alex pulled on Tobin’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “Stop there,” she gestured using both of their hands and Tobin flicked on her blinker. 

Tobin put the car into park and let go of Alex’s hand to take off her seatbelt. “You're driving after lunch, by the way. It's my turn to snore and control the radio.”

Alex mocked offense. “You  _ offered  _ to drive.”

Tobin nodded as she locked the car. “I did indeed.” She tossed the keys to Alex then slid an arm around her waist. “And now it's your turn.”

-

“Do you think we have time to stop for dinner?” Alex whined, watching as they passed yet another exit. 

Tobin glanced to the GPS and repositioned her hands on the wheel. “No, probably not. If we do, you're driving the rest of the way, though,” she teased, flashing a smile before turning back to the road. 

“But I drove most recently,” Alex argued, rolling down her window. 

Tobin rolled her eyes, “Yeah, for an hour.”

“It was  _ two _ hours!” 

“How many hours have I driven again?”

Alex crossed her arms and slumped down in the passenger seat. “Irrelevant.”

“ _ Entirely _ relevant.”

“Not my fault you're a pushover,” Alex smiled and pulled one of Tobin’s hands off the steering wheel. 

“Only for you,” Tobin returned the smile and knotted their fingers together. 

“I might starve if we don't stop soon,” Alex whined again. 

“We have less than an hour left to drive, don't you think your parents have food?”

Alex stuck out her bottom lip. “ _ Please _ Toby?”

Tobin looked at Alex with mock disgust, “Don't call me that.”

“You love it when I call you that.”

“That's a lie.”

“You love it when I call you anything.”

“Also a lie,” Tobin stifled a laugh but couldn't stop the grin on her face. 

Alex returned the smile and leaned across the car, whispering into Tobin’s ear. “What about when I call you mine?”

Tobin felt her heart melt. It was kind of insane, really. How they could be dating for an entire  _ year _ and Alex never failed to make her feel like an utterly loved mess. Tobin smiled and tried to resist looking at Alex (because that would result in kissing her, which is definitely not safe on the freeway) and trained her eyes on the road. “Yeah, I love that,” she admitted. 

“Good, because you are.”

“Yeah,” Tobin risked a glance as Alex settled back into her own seat. “And I couldn't be happier.”

-

“Lex,” Tobin unbuckled her seatbelt and kissed her on the nose. “Come on, we're here.” 

Alex mumbled something into Tobin’s chest and wrapped her arms around her waist. 

“Look, if I’d known that run through McDonald's would put you to sleep, we would've never stopped,” Tobin joked. 

Alex nodded. “Are we here?”

Tobin slid one arm underneath Alex’s legs and the other around her shoulders, picking her up from the car. She walked to the porch before standing her up gently in front of the door. Tobin kissed Alex’s forehead as she rang the doorbell. Before the door opened, Alex rested her head on Tobin’s shoulder. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Morgan,” Tobin smiled brightly as Alex turned to face her parents. 

“Mom, Daddy!” Alex rushed into their arms. 

Mike, Alex’s dad, smiled as he pulled her into a hug. “Tobin, always nice to see you,” he said over her shoulder. 

Alex pulled back and looked at him with mock offense. “But what about me?”

Pam, Alex’s mom, patted her on the shoulder. “Thank you for bringing Tobin, dear.”

Alex pouted, sticking out her bottom lip as Tobin placed a hand on her lower back. “It's a pleasure, as always,” she smiled as Alex leaned into her touch.

“Come in!” Mike said as he and Pam stepped to the side to usher them into the house. 

Alex smiled, turning around to grab one of Tobin’s hands as she pulled her inside. 

“Dinner will be ready as soon as you two are,” Pam said with a smile as Alex began toward the hall. 

“We’ll be down in twenty!” Alex said as she pounded up the stairs, dragging Tobin behind her. 

“Babe,” Tobin looked at Alex as she shut the door behind them on one of the three bedrooms upstairs. “What are you doing?” 

“We're  _ getting ready _ ,” Alex said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“You were asleep five minutes ago,” Tobin said with a straight face. “Also, we have literally nothing up here to  _ get ready  _ with. The bags are still in the car.”

Alex glanced around the room and nodded slowly before taking Tobin's hand in her own. “ _ Fine _ , but come get the suitcases with me, then we can  _ get ready _ .”

“No, babe,” Tobin laughed. “We have to eat dinner with your parents, it's pretty much the entire reason we came.”

“But I'm not hungry,” Alex whined, burying her face in Tobin's neck. 

“Then maybe  _ someone _ should've listened when I said  _ we'll be there in less than an hour  _ rather than pointing at every fast food place we passed.”

“ _ You _ are the one who stopped.”

“I didn't eat anything, because I wanted to enjoy my meal with your parents.”

Alex rolled her eyes then wrapped her arms around Tobin's neck and kissed her deeply, pulling away as she felt Tobin's hands sliding at the bare skin peeking out from under her shirt. “Well, let's go then. Since you just  _ love  _ to spend time with my parents,” Alex mocked, skipping her way out of the bedroom. 

“She is the most utterly unfair woman I have ever met,” Tobin mumbled to herself as she made her way down the stairs.  _ I wouldn't have it any other way _ . 

-

“Thank you, again, for dinner,” Tobin smiled and reached for a handshake from Alex's dad, who pulled her into a hug. 

“Of course,” he smiled as he released the hug and placed a hand on Tobin’s shoulder. “You two are welcome here anytime!”

Alex smiled and gave him a side hug. “Thanks daddy, but Tobin and I are  _ exhausted  _ from the drive down here.”

As if on cue, Tobin yawned before she could stop herself. “Yeah, but thank you,  _ again _ , Mr. Morgan,” she offered a cheery smile as he clapped her on the shoulder. 

“Tobin, I tell you every time, it’s Mike.”

She nodded with another smile. “Right, sorry Mr...Mike.”

He chuckled. “ _ Just _ Mike, but you're getting there.” He turned to his wife and gestured towards Tobin and Alex. “A whole  _ year _ , can you believe it? Well, a lot,  _ lot _ longer than that since we've known you,” he looked at Tobin again with a proud smile. “But you've been making my baby girl happy for an entire year.”

“She's been making me happy a lot longer than that,” Alex said, leaning into Tobin who placed a hand on her lower back. 

Tobin looked to the ground, not sure where he could be going with this, until Alex stepped away. 

“Honey, help me with the dishes,” Pam said, reaching out for Alex. 

Mike stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Tobin’s shoulders. He put on the best  _ dad _ look he could manage, then turned to face Tobin. “Tobin, honey,” he led them to the couch before continuing. 

The way he said it made Tobin feel like a little kid for some reason and when he said  _ honey  _ it sounded as if he had suddenly adopted a southern accent. 

“About making Alex happy,” he shifted to the right so they were facing each other. 

Tobin gulped, this was it. This was where Alex’s dad told her  _ you're no good for my baby _ , where Alex’s mom said  _ I think you two are better off friends _ . It was irrational for her to think this way, really, but that didn't stop her. 

“I think you and Alex are just about made for each other,” he said softly. “Or as close to it as there is possible.”

Tobin’s nervous grin turned into a small smile as her eyes lit up. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah, and I want you to make her happy for as long as you can.”

“I will as long as she lets me, sir-- uh, Mike.”

Mike smiled with a small nod. “And you think that'll be a long time?”

“Uhm, I'm hoping so, yeah.”

He started not-so subtly twisting his wedding ring. “What about forever?”

Tobin nodded slowly as she struggled to take a deep breath. “Yeah, that'd be cool.”

He clapped a hand on her shoulder again and stood up. 

“Alright then, good talk Tobin.”

“Yeah, Mr. Mor-- uh, Mike. Good talk.”

-

Not even five minutes later, Alex walked into the living room where she took Tobin's hands in her own. “Let's go to bed, babe.”

Tobin nodded, following her up the stairs with a smile on her face. 

They changed then made their way to the bed, laying down with Alex tucked into Tobin’s neck and her arms tightly around Tobin's waist, as usual. Tobin's chin rested on the top of Alex’s head and her arms were wrapped loosely around Alex’s torso as she lightly traced patterns into her back. 

After a few minutes of silence, just them laying like that, Tobin spoke up. “Should I offer to sleep in a different room?” 

“No,” Alex said simply, turning so she could start kissing Tobin's neck. 

“But why not?”

“Because I want you to sleep with me.”

“Lex,” Tobin sighed. “I don't want your parents to think we're doing that, and I  _ especially  _ don't want them to be right.”

“Well,” Alex pulled away so they could face each other. “I didn't  _ mean  _ it like that, but now that you bring it up,” she slid her hand from Tobin's back so it was resting on her hip. 

Tobin clenched her jaw as she tried to ignore the way Alex was tracing her hip bones. “Lex, I'm not having sex with you in your childhood bedroom.”

“Technically, this was never my childhood bedroom.”

“Huh?”

“It was Jeri’s till Jen moved out, then Jeri took Jen’s and I got this one. So it wasn't mine till I was about fourteen.”

Tobin shook her head. “You know what I mean.”

Alex leaned and started kissing along her jaw line. “Come on, baby,” she whispered. “I always wanted to have sex with a star athlete in this room.” Immediately she covered her mouth, “That came out wrong.”

Tobin stifled a laugh as she pulled away, unsure of whether to be grossed out or turned on (she was a little bit of both). “Yeah, I can't do this,” she started laughing again. 

“ _ Fine _ ,” Alex whined with a melodramatic sigh. “Just stop laughing and let's go to sleep.”

Tobin tried to quiet her laughter as she laid back down (she was really, really trying), but couldn't stop the words that came out of her mouth next. “Which star athletes?”

Alex smacked Tobin with the pillow then turned so she was facing away. 

“Baby,” Tobin reached for Alex who tried to scoot away but was already almost entirely off the bed. She rolled her over so they were facing and kissed her forehead softly. “I'm sorry, that was too far.”

Alex nodded and Tobin kissed her again - nose, this time. 

Tobin's leaned her forehead against Alex’s. “Let's go to sleep, okay?”

Alex nodded and Tobin kissed her again - lips, this time. 

“Night, baby. I love you,” she whispered softly. 

“I love you too,” Alex leaned forward for one last kiss - Tobin’s cheek, this time. She rested her head on the pillow she’d previously used to hit Tobin. “Goodnight.”

Tobin wrapped her arms around Alex again and started tracing patterns into her back. “Goodnight, babe.”

 

\------------

 

_ Two. _

If there was one thing Tobin and Alex had learned from their time as professional athletes, it was that there was absolutely no such thing as privacy. You eat together, you sleep together, you do  _ everything _ together. 

That didn't stop them from trying, though. 

During what seemed to be one of the coldest winter camps they’d ever experienced, Tobin and Alex did their best to spend as much time as possible together. Which resulted in a lot of side-eye glances from trainers, and a  _ lot _ of teasing from teammates. 

Particularly Tobin being told to  _ put a ring on it  _ as so eloquently stated, repeatedly, by her closest friends. (Specifically Ashlyn, Kelley, and Pinoe. And with Pinoe there was Syd, there was  _ always _ Syd.)

Alex  _ missed _ Tobin, and it was driving her insane. But when Dawn Scott, her (everyone’s) favorite member of the coaching staff, announced a scrimmage, she  _ knew _ they'd have a long enough lunch break to spend some time together. (By playing different positions on the field, sometimes one of them would break for lunch just as the other would be coming back, but a scrimmage would mean a break at the same time.)

When the coaches began dividing the teams, Alex stood right next to Pinoe, looping an arm around her shoulders. 

“Think we're working on chemistry?” Pinoe asked, turning her head slightly to look at Alex. 

“Uhm, probably.” Alex turned her head to spot Tobin talking to Ashlyn and Kelley, all three of them with large grins and roaring laughter. She felt a pang in her chest and had to roll her eyes because there was no way in  _ hell  _ Tobin would even consider cheating on her. (Especially not with those two. Tobin had a healthy fear of both Ali  _ and  _ Hope.)

The teams were divided so that Tobin, Ashlyn, and Kelley were on the opposite side of her, Ali, and Hope, which could have meant that the coaches were working on building chemistry among players,  _ or  _ that they were dividing the couples. (Some people on the team wonder just how much the coaches know about these things. Alex thinks there's definitely some sort of sixth sense that comes with the job.)

As the game went on, Alex had to admit, it's  _ rough _ without Tobin. She'd always taken their chemistry on the field together for granted, and without Tobin there to deliver passes, it was harder to score goals. No one else's passes went  _ right _ to her foot like Tobin’s did. (She wondered if that was a  _ her and Tobin  _ or maybe just a  _ Tobin  _ thing, but decided to push that thought away.)

The game ended, Tobin’s team ahead by one, and they all broke for lunch. 

Alex, a little upset about the loss, a lot upset at how she was outplayed, and even  _ more-so _ upset about the lack of alone time she and Tobin had spent together, took her girlfriend’s hand and marched them straight back to the hotel.

What they didn't think about, was that with a lunch break as long as this one, most girls would want to take a shower from the comfort of their own hotel room first.

Alex was rooming with Ashlyn (Tobin was a tad jealous about them rooming together, but there was a rule placed mostly upon honor code that couples don’t room together, and she couldn't exactly ask her girlfriend to switch keys so she could room with Ashlyn), who would probably be the  _ last _ person you want to catch you hooking up with your girlfriend. (She'd had her fair share of run-ins with teammates, and nowadays, she was merciless.)

Tobin followed Alex into her room, assuming she wanted to change before they left, and was discussing various eating options when Alex finally decided Tobin would never take a hint. 

“Oh and there's a bar just down the street, we could walk there. I think it's called--”

Alex kissed her deeply, shoving her back into the bed. 

“Lex, what are you doing,” Tobin was cut off with another kiss before she could say anything, and decided to just go with it. 

Alex slid her hands down Tobin's sides, resting at the top of her shorts and playing with the hem. “If I couldn’t win on the field, I’m gonna beat you in bed.”

“That...doesn’t even make sense. Sex isn’t a competition, Lex.”

“Tell that to--”

Ashlyn opened the door and was met with a shirtless Alex and pinned down Tobin. “Ew! Gross guys, really. Don’t you have any respect for your roomies?”

Alex, slightly mortified, quickly grabbed her shirt from the floor and pulled it over her chest.

“Oh please,” Ashlyn waved her off. “Not like it’s anything I haven’t seen before.”

Tobin started to laugh but quickly silenced herself when Alex shot her a glance that felt like daggers. 

“And Tobin, come on,” Ashlyn shook her head disapprovingly. “We went to college together, I  _ know _ you know the sock on the door rule.”

Tobin laughed again, met with a swift elbow in the gut from Alex. “ _ Oof _ \-- Lex, come  _ on _ . It’s Ash, she doesn’t care.”

“Oh now that’s where you’re wrong,” Ashlyn smiled mischievously as she picked up her jacket from where it laid over the desk chair. “Pinoe and I have a bet running over whose room you guys would get caught screwing in at camp. She said Tobin’s and, as much as I didn’t want it to be, I said ours.”

Alex pulled on her shirt, looking at the ground to hide how red her cheeks were. 

“Now, if you two would excuse me,” Ashlyn walked over to the door. “I have twenty bucks to collect.” She began to shut the door but then poked her head in. “Oh, and before I go,” she slid her shoe off and pulled off the sock, hanging it over the doorknob. “I’ve got ya covered.”

As soon as the door was closed, Alex buried her face in Tobin’s chest and Tobin wrapped her arms around her.

“We’re  _ fine _ , Lex. Nothing’s gonna happen.”

“I’m just embarrassed,” she admitted. Alex stood up from the bed and started walking to the door. “I can’t believe we were caught about to have sex.”

Tobin rolled her eyes as she stood up. “I just can’t believe we’re not gonna finish.”

Alex turned back with a competitive glint in her eye. “Is that a challenge?”

“Depends,” Tobin smirked. (Alex may be cute when embarrassed, but she was  _ sexy _ when competitive.) “What would happen if it was?”

Alex released the doorknob and made her way back to the bed. “Oh, I’ll show you.”

 

\------------

 

_ Three. _

Tobin was never one to entertain the idea of settling down, but when it came to Alex, she just couldn’t imagine a life without her. So, when Alex not-so subtly began pointing out nicer and bigger apartments that were closer to the field in Portland (Apartments with real, actual, multi-year leases instead of the ones one of them would rent for a few months every season and the other would just stay over), she was a bit caught off guard.

Alex knew this, and she didn’t want to  _ push _ Tobin to start looking for a more permanent residence, but maybe she needed to try and give a slight tap in the right direction.

“This place looks nice,” Alex said, scrolling through some pictures on her laptop. 

Tobin walked over from the kitchen and placed one hand on Alex’s shoulder, the other on the table. She watched as Alex clicked through a few more pictures displaying the view from the balcony, the large kitchen, and a hallway revealing two bedrooms.  _ Two bedrooms. A guest bedroom would be nice, I’m not ready for kids. Oh god, is Alex ready for kids?  _ “It does,” she chewed on her lip then turned to kiss Alex’s cheek. “We could go check it out, if you want.”

Alex turned to her girlfriend so quickly, she worried about the possibility of whiplash. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Tobin nodded as she stood up from where she had been leaning over Alex. “The lease on this place is running out soon, and, I don’t know. It’d be kinda nice to get somewhere a little more...permanent.”

_ Permanent, _ the word rang in Alex’s ears before she finally responded. “Permanent? As in, forever permanent?”

“Well, leases run out,” Tobin chuckled to herself. “But yeah, a long time permanent. With you.”

Alex stood up and placed her hands on both sides of Tobin’s face, pulling her in for a kiss. “You’re the best, really.”

“Hey now,” Tobin laughed again as Alex slid her arms down so they were holding hands. “I didn’t say I’d be signing a mortgage or anything, but,” she hesitated again, chewing her lip. “I did call this realtor I’ve heard some really good things about, and she said we can meet with her tomorrow--”

“That’s perfect!” Alex nearly yelled as she leaned in to kiss Tobin. “I love you  _ so _ much,” she smiled as she pulled away and rested her head on Tobin’s shoulder. “So, so much.”

“I love you too, baby,” Tobin said. “Forever and always.”

“Forever and always,” Alex mumbled into her neck.

-

They spent the next few weeks tirelessly searching for the right place, until they walked into the  _ perfect _ one. It had a balcony with a breath-taking view, two bedrooms, a large kitchen, and a beautiful bathroom. Everything they (well, Alex) were looking for (Tobin just wanted the one that would make Alex happiest).

Within days of first seeing the place, they were already at the landlord’s place, ready to sign a lease. 

Before then, there were the three best times in Tobin’s life that she wished she could etch every single detail in her mind. When she and Alex kissed (for the first time) in front of the sunset on the top of the Eiffel Tower, when she and Alex won the World Cup together, and when Alex ran into her arms after breaking the record for most international goals (off of an assist from her, of course).

Somehow, the look of Alex’s signature next to hers on that lease topped all of them.

 

\------------

 

_ Four _ . 

“Are you sure she--”

“Trust me, Tobs. I know what I'm doing.”

“But this is  _ Alex _ . It has to be  _ perfect _ .”

Ashlyn rolled her eyes. “Look, I've done my fair share of proposing, and--”

“Fair share?” Tobin raised an eyebrow and looked over to her friend. 

“Well, yeah,” Ashlyn chuckled. “You don't really think they always say yes the first time, right?”

Tobin paled. “That is the  _ opposite  _ of what I need to hear right now.”

“Look, I don't get why you're so worried. You love her, right?”

“Well, duh.”

“And she loves you?”

“Yeah. Well, I mean I think-- I hope so.”

Ashlyn shook her head. “She loves you man, chill.”

Tobin nodded. “How do I stop worrying?”

Ashlyn shrugged. “You don't.”

“You're no help.”

“Oh please, you probably wouldn't even have a ring if it wasn't for me.”

Tobin nodded. “That’s fair. Whatever, are we ready to go?”

Ashlyn scoped the field in front of her one last time before standing. “Yep, looks that way.”

“And you think she’ll like it?” Tobin asked, biting her lip.

Ashlyn placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Positive.”

Tobin sat down in the grass and pulled her knees up to her chest. This was it, this was the field she and Alex played together for the first time. This was the field Alex scored her first national goal, assisted by Tobin. This was the field Tobin broke her foot, and Alex carried her off the field (it was against regulations, but Alex wasn’t about to leave her side). This was the field where Alex broke the international goal record, assisted by Tobin. This was the field Alex got a concussion, and Tobin held her hand all the way to the hospital (also against regulations). This was the town where they had their first date. 

It seemed like God or fate or the universe or  _ something _ had to be stepping in, because it was like this was  _ their _ field.  _ Their _ town.  _ Their _ story.  _ Their _ past. And if everything went well tonight, it would be where they began  _ their  _ future.

“Nervous?” Ashlyn asked, sitting down next to Tobin.

“Incredibly so,” she mumbled. “Is that normal?”

“Obviously,” Ashlyn laughed. “You don’t have to be calm and collected about everything all the time. Nerves can be healthy. Were you nervous when you got your first cap? When you took your first shot on goal? When you held her hand for the first time? When you took her on your first date?”

Tobin nodded along and began to understand what she was saying.

“Being nervous just means that there’s something to lose, but there’s also something to gain. You should be nervous. But you should also be excited, because you’re gonna ask one of the biggest questions in your life tonight, and have no say in the answer.”

“ _ That’s _ comforting,” Tobin rolled her eyes and dropped her head in her hands. 

“It’s not supposed to be,” Ashlyn smiled and began rubbing her back. “You’re gonna be okay though, I promise. Worst case scenario, she says no.”

“What if she’s disgusted, or breaks up with me? What if she says I’m moving too fast?”

“Then you try again when you think you’re both ready,” Ashlyn shrugged. “It’s all gonna work out, bro. Swear on it.”

-

Kelley was never good at keeping secrets.  _ Ever. _ Everyone knew she liked Hope even before  _ she _ did. Erin had to start conning their brother into covering for her, because Kelley would say the words  _ she snuck out _ before she could even process the thought. 

So, when Tobin told Kelley that she was going to propose, Kelley found the challenge of distracting Alex to be one of the hardest of her life.

As they walked through town, it seemed that every turn had something to do with weddings (they passed a floral stand, a jewelry store, and when they walked through the park there was a couple proposing and Kelley figured this was some sort of crude attempt to push her limits).

They were out for ice cream when Kelley finally got the all-clear text.

**Tobs: Everything’s ready, bring her back to the field in 15 mins**

Kelley glanced at her watch, 6:30. “Well, Alex, today's been a lot of fun. Don't you think?”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Uhm, you told me flowers were stupid and pulled me away from the stand, told me I owned more jewelry than the average person ever should, and groaned when we saw two guys getting engaged in the park. Are you okay?”

“Me?” Kelley laughed nervously. “Yeah, me, I'm fine. Totally fine. And I have  _ no  _ big plans later today, none at all.” Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d said. “Anyway, do you wanna head back to the hotel?”

“Sure, that works.” Alex nodded as she stood up from the small table they were sharing outside. “Wanna grab dinner on the way back?”

“No!” Kelley flipped around from where she had been walking in front of Alex along the sidewalk. “We already have dinner plans.”  _ Shit, no, Tobin’s taking you to dinner after she proposes. _ “I mean, don’t you think we should go to the hotel and see if anyone else wants to join us?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Tobin should come with us, she’s seemed kind of on-edge for the past couple weeks, maybe her day with Ash helped. I’d like a nice night with my Tobin again.”

Kelley tried not to gag at how adorable it was. Something about the way Alex said  _ my Tobin _ or the way she knew something was off (of course she did, they’re practically joined at the hip) or how Kelley knew that if everything went well, they would be having a much better than  _ nice _ night together made her heart melt.

“Kell?”

“Hmm?”

“You didn’t say anything, just mumbled to yourself.”

“Ah, yeah. I just meant I’m jealous they had a  _ Bros’ Day _ without me.” Kelley shook her head then mumbled to herself. “Why’d I have to do this job?”

“Say something again?”

“No, nothing important,” she lied. “I was just saying maybe we could bring Hope with us, too.” Kelley kicked a rock up the length of the sidewalk they were on and sighed as Alex slung an arm over her shoulders.

“When are you and Hope gonna, you know, make it official?” 

Kelley rolled her eyes. “ _ That _ would be a question for Hope.”

Alex frowned. “Trouble in paradise?”

“I don’t know if you could call it paradise, but there’s definitely trouble.” She slumped her shoulders as Alex’s look grew concerned. 

“Wanna talk about it?”

Kelley shrugged. “Just seems like I’m more in it than she is, y’know?” They turned into their hotel and met with Pinoe and Syd. 

“Talk later,” Alex nodded assuringly and rubbed Kelley’s back before releasing to greet them. “We’re gonna go for dinner, do you guys wanna join?”

“Sure!” Megan lit up until Sydney slapped her on the shoulder. 

“No thanks, Alex. We’re gonna head out by ourselves, but if you’re looking for Tobin, she’s on the field.”

Kelley rolled her eyes.  _ Guess they know too.  _

“Wanna head to the field, Kell?”

“Sure!” Kelley glanced at her watch, 6:40, factored in the approximate five minute walk to the field and smiled. They were  _ right _ on schedule. 

-

Alex and Kelley walked onto the grass, met with a dark, empty field except for a few dozen soccer balls littered across the opposite half. 

“Tobin!” Alex yelled. “You’ve gotta pick these up before we go for dinner!”

Kelley looked around, confused.  _ Where’s Ashlyn? Where’s Tobin? _

“Alex Morgan,” Ashlyn’s voice echoed through the stadium. “Please report to family section 13-B.”

Alex turned around to look at Kelley. “What the hell’s going on?”

Kelley shrugged but gestured towards the most well-lit section of the stands. “Go check there?”

Alex rolled her eyes and jogged over to the steps, making her way to the near section near the top of the stands. She noticed a sign hanging over the original sign that said  _ 13-B _ and this one read  _ 13-B my wife? _ Alex felt her heart skip a beat as she heard Tobin’s calm voice call out behind her. 

“Turn around.”

As Alex turned, another light turned over the field and could now read that the soccer balls spelled out  _ MARRY ME? _ over the field.

Tobin, a few feet in front of her, dropped to one knee and pulled a small black box out of her jacket pocket. “Alex, you make me the happiest person alive. Every morning when I wake up, I have a smile because I’m already thinking of you. Every night when I fall asleep, I can feel you rubbing my back and I know I’m safe. Every time I look into your gorgeous eyes, I know I’m home. Alex Morgan, you are my everything.”

Alex was already standing in front of her, tears welling in her eyes and her hands over her mouth.

“Will you do me the greatest honor, and promise that we’ll spend the rest of our lives together?”

Alex pulled Tobin up from where she was kneeling down, and pulled her into a tighter hug than either of them had ever been a part of. “Yes, yes, a million times yes,” she mumbled against Tobin’s shoulder.

Tobin pulled back, smile shining on her face, and reached for Alex’s left hand. She slid the ring onto her finger and looked up to see Alex beaming at her. “I love you, Lex. I’ll always love you.”

“I’ll always love you,” Alex repeated, nodding as she tried to blink back tears and pull her in for another hug. “Forever and always,” she whispered into Tobin’s neck.

“Forever and always,” Tobin agreed. “Forever and always.”

 

\------------

 

_ Five. _

Alex turned over half asleep in bed to face her wife-to-be (in t-minus seven hours). “I’ve been waiting for this day my  _ whole _ life.”

Tobin smiled at the way Alex’s eyes sparkled in the sunlight peeking through their hotel window. “Y’know, you also said that to me the day you got your first cap. And the day you got your first goal. And the day you broke the goal record. And the first time we kissed, for real, at the top of the eiffel tower.”

Alex scrunched her nose but couldn’t stop the smile on her face. “Your point?”

Tobin kissed her nose. “You’re perfect.”

Alex tilted her head. “How do those relate?”

“You experience life so fully,” Tobin whispered, holding eye contact with Alex. “You’re so happy, you’ve achieved so much. When you want something, you get it. It’s not a bad thing that you’ve said it so much. It’s good. It shows how ambitious, and triumphant, and inspiring you are. It’s one of the reasons I love you. One of the many, many, many--”

Alex put her hand over Tobin’s lips as she began to lean in for a kiss. “Save it for the vows, babe.”

Tobin smiled as Alex rolled away from her and out of the bed. “How are we on time?” She asked, stretching and peeling away the blanket. 

Alex glanced to the microwave in the kitchenette area as she began combing her fingers through her hair. “It’s right around seven-thirty, and the ceremony starts half-past two, so, perfect.”

“So, just like you?”

“Just like me,” Alex agreed, earning a laugh from Tobin who finally rose from the bed. 

Tobin walked over to her fiancée and kissed her. “I love you,” she whispered as they pulled away.

“I love you, too,” Alex kissed Tobin on the cheek as she turned away. “I should probably get in the shower, though.”

Tobin nodded. “And I’m sure Ashlyn and Kelley will be banging down our door any minute now to make sure we’re on time.”

As if on cue (totally on cue, they’d been standing by the doorway for the past five minutes waiting for some sort of mention about time), Kelley and Ashlyn knocked on their door.

“Tooooobiiin,” Kelley called. “You have people to do, and things to get ready.”

“She’s kidding,” Tobin said, rolling her eyes and leaning in for another kiss from Alex.

“I mean, things to do and people to get ready,” Kelley corrected, but with the raucous laughter they could hear through the door, Tobin doubted it was an accidental slip up.

“I should go,” Tobin kissed Alex on the nose, again.

“I should shower,” Alex agreed with a nod.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

“Syd and your sisters should be here in about twenty minutes to help you get ready,” Tobin reminded. 

Alex nodded as she headed to the bathroom.

“Wait,” Tobin jogged over and kissed Alex deeply. She smirked, “That’s to last me the next seven hours.”

“I’ll miss you,” Alex whispered, leaning her forehead against Tobin’s.

“I’ll be waiting down that aisle for you.”

“We’re really doing this.”

“We’re really doing this.” Tobin nodded assuringly then turned and began towards the door. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

“You make it sound like you’re dying,” Alex joked.

“Oh baby, by marrying you? My life’s just beginning.”

Alex began to tear up and laughed to hide it. “Leave, before you make me cry.”

“Okay,” Tobin opened the door and turned back one last time. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

-

“Is it straight?” Tobin asked, looking in the mirror.

Kelley and Ashlyn looked at each other then back to Tobin. “Bro, nothing in this room is straight,” Ashlyn joked.

Tobin rolled her eyes then turned to Kelley. “Help?”

Kelley smiled as she reached out and straightened the bowtie, evening out the sides. “Aw, our little baby is growing up,” Kelley wiped at a fake tear as she turned to Ashlyn.

“I know,” Ashlyn sniffled, playing along. “She’s gonna leave us for her smoking hot wife and we’ll be left here to grow old, all in our lonesome.”

“Shut up,” Tobin groaned and picked up a small glass cologne bottle. “This was the best one, right?”

Kelley raised an eyebrow at her. “Considering you paid upwards of a hundred dollars for it, I’d hope so.”

Tobin nodded. “Yeah, true.”

Ashlyn clapped a hand on her shoulder. “You can do this, bro. You ready?”

Kelley opened the door as Tobin nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

-

“You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” Syd asked, incredulous.

“No, no,” Alex shook her head. “But what if Tobin is?”

Sydney rolled her eyes as she pulled away from where she was curling Alex’s hair. “She’s not, that girl has wanted to marry you for like a million years.”

Alex chuckled. “Honestly? Me too.”

Syd smiled and kissed Alex’s forehead. “I’m so happy for you. Now shut up, we have five minutes before you have to walk down that aisle and I need to finish touching up your curls.”

-

Tobin felt her heart skip a beat as the doors opened and Alex began her walk down the aisle, arm-in-arm with her dad. 

“Take care of her, Tobin,” Alex’s father said with a warning tone, but a smile that betrayed it. 

“Always, Mr. Mor-- Mike.”

Alex smiled and the officiant nodded, delving into her recitation. 

-

It felt like it took forever, but then again, Tobin and Alex made it work. They forgot about their family and friends in the crowd, or the woman to their side, about to join them in holy matrimony. 

It was just the two of them, and it was perfect. 

They smiled at each other, occasionally quirking an eyebrow or flaring nostrils I'm an attempt to make the other laugh. 

Alex smiled and nodded her head towards the officiant as she got to the part they'd both been waiting for. 

“Tobin Heath, do you take Alexandra Morgan to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Tobin looked at the girl standing in front of her, sparkling eyes and shining smile. Tobin smiled to reflect Alex's. “I do.”

“And Alexandra Morgan, do you take Tobin Heath to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Alex looked at Tobin, and saw their time together flash before her eyes. The good times (trips to the Bahamas and surprise dates and camping trips), the bad times (groaning about who had to the dishwasher and fights over if one of them was pushing themselves too hard or not and arguments that ended with closed doors and one of them sleeping on the couch), and the perfect times (Tobin being there to hold her after a long day and trips to the beach when they need it most and lazy afternoons where they were tangled, cuddling with each other and a card game, long-forgotten off to the side). She was gonna marry Tobin Heath. The good times, the bad times, and the perfect times. Without a doubt, she had never been as happy as she watched the smile spread over Tobin’s face and light through her eyes and envelop her entire soul as Alex said the words, “I do.”

Tobin leaned forward and kissed her, and it felt more magical and powerful and loving than either of them had ever felt in their entire lives. 

-

They sat in the limo quietly on the way to the airport that night. Their fingers intertwined and Alex’s head resting on Tobin’s shoulder with the jacket from her suit draped over Alex. (Even though they'd both changed into comfortable travel clothes before they left, Alex insisted on holding to the jacket. She said it was warm and smelled good,  _ like you always do _ , which made Tobin glad that she'd picked the right cologne.)

“We're almost here,” Tobin murmured to Alex, who began to stir awake. 

“I can't believe you picked somewhere we had to fly to for our honeymoon,” Alex rolled her eyes. “Planes are no fun. Neither are timezones.”

“ _ You _ picked it, Lex,” Tobin cracked a smile as she kissed Alex’s forehead. 

“But Australia is so far away,” she whined. 

“And so beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as me, though,” Alex joked as they pulled up to the airport.

“Well, nothing’s as beautiful as you,” Tobin agreed seriously. 

“You're so good to me,” Alex angled her head to kiss Tobin’s cheek. 

“You're so good for me.”

“We're good for each other.”

“We're made for each other,” Tobin agreed. 

“I hope you know that you make me happier than I've ever been,” Alex whispered before reaching for the door. 

“Yeah?” Tobin asked. 

“Yeah.”

Tobin walked around so they met on the airport side of the limo, then wrapped her arm around Alex’s waist. “Ready to start the next chapter of your life?”

“I'm ready to start the  _ best _ chapter of  _ our _ life.”

Tobin smiled and kissed Alex's cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

“Forever.”

“And always.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it :)  
> Love you guys!! Thanks for reading :)


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